Creates the Senator Oren E. Long scholarship program at the University of Hawaii. (HB2041 HD1)

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Senator Hiram L. Fong's legislative accomplishments in the United States Senate, which enabled Hawaii to become a full and sovereign federal state with the other forty-nine, owed greatly to the collaboration and cooperation of his colleagues, particularly the other Senator from Hawaii, Oren E. Long, and Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, then Senate Majority Leader. Senator Long, with Senator Fong and forty-eight other sponsors, introduced Senate Bill 3395, which established the East-West Center. Senator Long gave forty-one years of public service to Hawaii, as a public school teacher and principal, rising to Superintendent of Public Instruction (1934-46), Secretary of the Territory of Hawaii (1946-51), and then Governor of Hawaii (1951-53). Elected to the United States Senate in 1959, he served until 1963 and died in 1965, without any children or family in Hawaii. The legislature intends to honor, recognize, and perpetuate the memory of Senator Oren E. Long's lifelong contributions to the people of Hawaii by establishing and endowing a scholarship in his name and in his chosen profession of education at the University of Hawaii.

The purpose of this Act is to establish the Senator Oren E. Long scholarship program.

SECTION 2. Chapter 304, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§304- The Senator Oren E. Long scholarship program; special fund. (a) There is created the Senator Oren E. Long scholarship program to be administered by the University of Hawaii. The program shall be used to provide financial support to students enrolled in a state-approved teacher preparation program at the University of Hawaii.

(b) Awards shall be granted annually to one female student and one male student who:

(1) Are residents of Hawaii;

(c) The amount to be awarded to a student shall be determined by the board of regents with due regard to the total amount of funds available for the program. The award that a student receives under this program may be used to:

(1) Pay for the costs of tuition and fees;

(d) The board of regents shall adopt rules to implement the Senator Oren E. Long scholarship program. The rules shall be adopted pursuant to chapter 91, but shall be exempt from the public notice and public hearing requirements.

(e) The funds for this scholarship program shall be deposited into the student scholarship and assistance special fund and shall be administered by the board of regents of the University of Hawaii for the purposes of supporting the Senator Oren E. Long scholarship program."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $200,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007 to be deposited into the student scholarship and assistance special fund.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of budget and finance for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the student scholarship and assistance special fund the sum of $200,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007 to be used for the Senator Oren E. Long scholarship program.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.