STAND. COM. REP. NO.265
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2001
RE: H.B. No. 1667
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2001
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Higher Education and Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1667 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STUDENT LOANS FOR TEACHERS,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to:
(1) Establish the Hawaii Educator Loan Program and Special Fund to be administered by the University of Hawaii (UH) to provide financial support to students who graduate with a baccalaureate degree in education and who agree to teach in the Hawaii public school system;
(2) Outline eligibility requirements, maximum loan amounts, repayment schedules, and loan forgiveness guidelines to implement the loan program;
(3) Permit UH to enter into contract agreements with collection agencies for collecting delinquent student loans; and
(4) Appropriate moneys for the special fund.
The Lieutenant Governor, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools supported this bill. The Department of Education supported the intent of this bill. The Department of Budget and Finance opposed this bill.
Your Committees acknowledge that there is an extreme teacher shortage nationwide and steps should be taken to encourage the best students to become teachers and to remain in Hawaii to have a positive impact on our youth. Since there are currently few incentives offered by the state to young people entering the teaching profession, a Loan Forgiveness Program would increase the pool of teachers in Hawaii. Many other states have initiated such programs with great success.
Your Committees have amended this bill by:
(1) Allowing candidates enrolled in a Post-Baccalaureate Degree Program access to the loan program;
(2) Changing the appropriation amount to $1; and
(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style and clarity.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1667, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1667, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education and Education,
|
____________________________ KEN ITO, Chair |
____________________________ ROY TAKUMI, Chair |
|