STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 78

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 78 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STRENGTHENING ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Expand the eligibility for the Hawaii Community College Promise Program to include all qualified students; and

(2) Appropriate funds to expand access to community college to qualified Hawaii residents through scholarships under the Hawaii Community College Promise Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus, and seventeen individuals.

Your Committee finds that in academic year 2021-2022, Hawaii Promise Program recipients earned more credits, received better grades, and had higher persistence rates than their peers. Expanding the program to financially support all qualified students would give more students the opportunity to attend college and potentially increase their ability to earn a living wage.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the forty-two percent of community college students who received financial aid in the most recent year for which data is available used that aid to contribute toward their direct costs;

(2) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 78, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 78, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education & Technology,

____________________________

AMY A. PERRUSO, Chair