STAND. COM. REP. NO. 50

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 967
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred
H.B. No. 967 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE
     COLLEGE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill, as received, is to strengthen the
College of Hawaiian Language (CHL) by:

     (1)  Allowing CHL to contract in the Hawaiian language
          directly with providers;

     (2)  Including CHL with all other units of the University of
          Hawaii (UH) relative to the receipt and expenditure of
          general funds; and

     (3)  Removing the requirement that UH continue working with
          the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), the Federal
          Government, and the 'Aha Punana Leo, Inc. (APL), to
          establish additional funding for the needs of CHL.

     CHL, UH at Hilo, and the Hale Kuamo'o Hawaiian Language
Center testified in support of this bill.

     Your Committee finds that CHL has proven it is a relevant
part of the UH system and that it deserves general funding to the
same extent that all other UH programs and students do.  Your
Committee also finds that CHL should be accorded the freedom to

 
 
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carry out its business with the private and public sectors in the
Hawaiian language.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Making optional, rather than mandatory, UH's ability to
          contract with RCUH as needed; and

     (2)  Requiring UH to continue working with OHA, the Federal
          Government, and APL, to establish additional funding
          for the needs of the CHL.

     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 H.B.
No. 967, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to
the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs in the form
attached hereto as H.B. No. 967, H.D. 1.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   DAVID MORIHARA, Chair