Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2997 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

Your Committees received testimony in support of the measure from the University of Hawaii, Department of Education, Department of Transportation, Career and College Counselor and five students of Moanalua High School, the students of the Engineering and Technology Academy at Roosevelt High School, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Your Committees find that enrollment in the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering is at approximately half of its peak enrollment in the early 1990s, despite an increase in local recruiting efforts by both the department and the college. Both the state government and private employers have difficulty finding qualified civil engineers to meet their demands.

Your Committees further find that the shortage is projected to get worse nationally as the baby boomers begin to retire. Given the importance of design and construction to the local economy, this is potentially a major problem for the State and the State's infrastructure. An initiative to increase the pipeline of graduating civil engineers and retain them in Hawaii is needed.

Your Committees have amended the measure by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2997, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2997, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.