STAND. COM. REP. NO. 244

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1156

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1156 entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to provide continuing funding for the B Plus Scholarship Program to encourage Hawaii residents to pursue post-secondary education.

 

     This measure also includes additional scholarship eligibility criteria for the B Plus Scholarship Program.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the University of Hawaii System, the Workforce Development Council, GEAR UP Hawaii, the United Filipino Community Council, the Oahu Filipino Community Council, and eight individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that pursuant to Act 57, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005, the Legislature appropriated funds for the establishment of the B Plus Scholarship Program to promote higher learning among low-income populations through the provision of scholarships to eligible students.  In 2006, the Legislature amended Act 57 to provide additional funding and to clarify financial eligibility guidelines.  The B Plus Scholarship Program has enjoyed great success; and this year the University of Hawaii has awarded two hundred fifty-two B Plus Scholarships to public high school graduates entering University of Hawaii campuses.  This measure provides the necessary funding to allow the program to continue, scholarships to be renewed, and new scholarships to be granted.  In order to continue to provide an attractive incentive to eligible high school students, your Committee believes the eligibility criteria should be further refined and complemented.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying that eligibility for the B Plus Scholarship Program requires the completion of a rigorous high school curriculum;

 

     (2)  Specifying that priority for scholarships shall be given to a student who has pledged, via an early intervention program, to meet the requirements of the B Plus scholarship program; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity and style.

 

     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 S.B. No. 1156, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1156, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair