STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2214

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3187

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 3187 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII RESIDENT TUITION FEE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the tuition residency rules for the University of Hawaii to grant the resident tuition fee for enrollment at any University of Hawaii campus to individuals who have graduated from a Hawaii high school and are enrolling in an undergraduate degree program, under certain conditions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System and Hawaiʻi P-20 Partnerships for Education.

Your Committee finds that post-secondary education provides students with educational opportunities to secure higher paying jobs. However, some Hawaii high school graduates may leave the State for personal reasons for a period of time that may prevent them from immediately enrolling in the University of Hawaii System. Creating additional opportunities for Hawaii high school graduates to attend a University of Hawaii campus offers students a faster transition into their current degree program, or pathways to a different career without additional delays. Your Committee further finds that graduates will also contribute to the State's economy and alleviate the loss of talented residents who do not return. Accordingly, this measure provides Hawaii high school graduates with additional opportunities to pursue higher education while also streamlining the application process for prospective resident students.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3187 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair