STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3140

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2158

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2158, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the University of Hawaii System to collect, maintain, and publish standardized program-level data for each academic program offered;

(2) Require maintenance of an online dashboard with program-level data; and

(3) Require an annual report to the Legislature.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System.

Your Committee finds that fiscal pressures, enrollment declines, demographic shifts, and workforce shortages require careful, well-informed stewardship of public higher education resources. A centralized, searchable dashboard of data relating to academic outcomes at the University of Hawaii would provide students, families, and policymakers with clear and actionable information. This measure modernizes institutional data usage to support data-informed decision-making in higher education.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 31, 2055, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2158, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2158, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair