Promotes the civil engineering profession and enhances the recruitment and retention of civil engineers in the Department of Transportation by providing financial assistance, on-the-job training, and educational oppor

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The purpose of this Act is to establish a civil engineering scholarship program to be administered by the department of transportation and to appropriate moneys to promote the civil engineering profession, and offer financial assistance, on-the-job training, and employment opportunities to qualified students in Hawaii.

SECTION 2. Chapter 78, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated to read as follows:

"§78- Department of transportation; civil engineering scholarship program. (a) The department of transportation may establish a civil engineering scholarship program open to high school graduates of accredited high schools in Hawaii, or high school graduates who are residents of Hawaii, who have successfully completed a high school pre-college curriculum. The department of transportation, highways division, shall establish, without regard to chapter 91, the criteria and guidelines for the scholarship program that shall include but not be limited to the qualification requirements, conditions for the scholarship, reimbursement provisions, and alternate options in which a scholarship participant may participate in order to otherwise fulfill their employment obligation under a scholarship agreement, if the participant is not hired by the department of transportation, highways division.

(b) The tuition component amount of a civil engineering scholarship award shall be limited to the resident tuition cost of the university of Hawaii at Manoa.

(c) Students awarded scholarships shall agree by contract, with the written approval of a parent or guardian when the applicant is under eighteen years of age, to apply for full-time civil service employment with the department of transportation, highways division, immediately after graduation from an accredited civil engineering program at the university of Hawaii and, accept any position offered, and if hired, complete one year of full-time employment with the department of transportation, highways division, for each school year in the scholarship program. A participant who fails to:

(d) A participant who leaves the department of transportation, highways division, before completing the required number of years of employment shall reimburse the department of transportation, highways division, the full amount of scholarship moneys received by the participant for each year of scholarship that corresponds to each year for which the participant fails to complete the employment requirement.

(e) Summer employment may be offered by the department of transportation, highways division, to scholarship students. The department of transportation, highways division, shall establish guidelines to effectuate this subsection.

(f) The department of transportation’s guidelines for this program will address situations where participants may wish to postpone their work commitment to pursue a masters degree in civil engineering."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the highways special fund, highways administration, (TRN 595) the sum of $100,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, for fiscal year 2006-2007 to implement the department of transportation’s engineering scholarship program.

SECTION 4. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of transportation, highways division, for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.