Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2067, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide funding to support efforts of the University of Hawaii to increase the number of students from ethnic groups that are currently under-represented in the University of Hawaii system.

Specifically, the bill repeals the Hawaii opportunity program in education (HOPE) endowment special fund and transfers the remaining balance to the University of Hawaii tuition and fees special fund. The transferred funds are to be used to recruit and retain financially needy students, particularly students from under-represented ethnic groups.

Your Committee finds that certain ethnic groups are under-represented at the University of Hawaii: African Americans, Filipinos, native Hawaiians, Laotian, Vietnamese, Samoans, and other Pacific Islanders. For example, native Hawaiians represent twenty-seven per cent of public school students, but are approximately fourteen per cent of the University of Hawaii system. Many students from under-represented ethnic groups need financial assistance and other support services to attend the University of Hawaii.

Your Committee believes that use of funds transferred from the HOPE endowment special fund to provide financial assistance, as well as outreach efforts, will facilitate a diverse student body and improve educational opportunities for certain ethnic groups.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2067, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2067, S.D. 2.