CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 80-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 1710

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1710, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this bill is to enable the University of Hawaii (UH) to provide tuition scholarships to qualified students by:

(1) Establishing the Student Scholarship and Assistance Special Fund (Fund);

(2) Enabling UH to transfer moneys into the Fund from the UH Tuition and Fees Special Fund;

(3) Appropriating moneys from the UH Tuition and Fees Special Fund into the Fund; and

(4) Authorizing the expenditure of moneys from the Fund for fiscal year 2004-2005.

Your Committee on Conference finds that establishing the Fund will enable UH to provide cash scholarships rather than tuition waivers to students. Providing scholarships instead of tuition waivers will have the additional benefit of allowing students or their families to take advantage of the federal HOPE Scholarship tax credit program, which counts scholarships, but not tuition waivers, as eligible expenses for the purpose of claiming the tax credit.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

(1) Deleting the appropriation from the UH Tuition and Fees Special Fund;

(2) Changing the appropriation from the Fund from an unspecified amount to $20,000,000; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1710, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1710, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Co-Chair

____________________________

K. MARK TAKAI, Co-Chair

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

____________________________

GLENN WAKAI, Co-Chair