HB2518

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the university of Hawaii operates a geographically dispersed system of campuses that serve diverse student populations across the State, including recent high school graduates, adult learners, workforce trainees, graduate and professional students, and students from neighbor islands and rural communities.

The legislature further finds that Hawaii is experiencing significant demographic change, including declining numbers of traditional college-age students, increasing numbers of adult and returning learners, and evolving workforce demands in critical fields such as health care, education, energy, and technology. These trends are reshaping enrollment patterns across the university of Hawaii system and placing new and uneven demands on instructional space, laboratories, clinical training facilities, research infrastructure, and student housing.

The legislature additionally finds that the cost, availability, and configuration of student housing directly affect access to higher education, student retention and completion, and the university's ability to train a workforce that meets the State's needs. At the same time, long-term facilities and housing planning must account for fiscal constraints, land use considerations, capital improvement timelines, and opportunities for innovative financing and partnerships.

The legislature recognizes that while the university of Hawaii has engaged in campus-level planning efforts, there is value in a coordinated, systemwide approach that aligns facilities and student housing planning with enrollment projections, workforce priorities, and capital planning processes, particularly during a period of demographic and economic transition. As such, this is a matter of statewide concern.

The purpose of this Act is to require the university of Hawaii to develop and maintain a comprehensive, systemwide facilities and student housing master plan to support the university's academic, research, and workforce development missions while also being responsive to changes to demographic, enrollment, and labor market trends.

SECTION 2. Chapter 304A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§304A- Facilities and student housing master plan. (a) Beginning , the university shall develop and maintain a statewide facilities and student housing master plan that supports the academic, research, and workforce development missions of the university and reflects changing demographic, enrollment, and labor market trends.

(b) The master plan shall, at a minimum, include:

(1) Enrollment and demographic analysis, including:

(A) Systemwide and campus-level enrollment trends and projections;

(B) Shifts in student composition, including increases or decreases in adult learners, part-time students, graduate and professional students, and workforce-focused learners; and

(2) Facilities assessment, including:

(A) An inventory of existing instructional, laboratory, clinical, research, and support facilities across the university system;

(B) Identification of facilities constraints or gaps that may affect academic programs, workforce training, or research activities; and

(3) Student housing needs analysis, including:

(A) Current and projected housing demand by campus and student population, including first-year students, neighbor island students, graduate and professional students, and short-term or workforce program participants;

(B) Evaluation of different housing typologies, including traditional residence halls, graduate or family housing, short-term or modular housing, and other flexible housing models; and

(4) Alignment with workforce and academic priorities, including:

(A) Identification of facilities and housing considerations related to high-priority workforce areas, including health care, education, and other in-demand fields;

(B) Consideration of how facilities and housing planning supports partnerships with hospitals, clinics, employers, and community organizations; and

(5) Capital planning and financing considerations, including:

(A) Identification of potential capital improvement priorities related to facilities and student housing;

(B) Discussion of phasing, sequencing, and timing considerations;

(C) Overview of potential financing approaches, including public-private partnerships, lease arrangements, or other innovative models, as appropriate; and

(D) Alignment with the university's existing capital improvement planning processes.

(c) The university shall update the master plan no less frequently than once every five years to reflect updated data, projections, and institutional priorities. The university may update the master plan on a more frequent basis if the university deems an update is appropriate.

(d) The university shall submit the master plan, and any updates thereto, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session following completion of the master plan or any update to the master plan.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to:

(1) Require the construction of any specific facility or housing project;

(2) Mandate the expansion or reduction of student housing at any university campus;

(3) Limit the authority of the university to manage its facilities, housing, or capital planning decisions; or

(4) Create any entitlement to funding or capital appropriations."

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2518
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII