STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 254

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 1687

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1687 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to improve the governance of the University of Hawaii (UH) by modifying the appointment process of the UH Board of Regents (BOR). Specifically, this bill:

(1) Establishes the Candidate Advisory Council (Council) to assist the Governor in determining criteria for, screening of, and proposing a pool of qualified candidates for BOR membership; and

(2) Removes the restriction that no more than six BOR members can be members of the same political party.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA) supported the intent of this bill. UH offered comments.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Deleting the provision that a regent may vacate the regent's seat by incapacity, defined as a condition or state that prevents a regent from attending two consecutive regular meetings of BOR;

(2) Changing the membership of the Council as follows:

(a) Removing the members appointed by the UH Faculty Senate, Associated Students of UH, Hawaii Business Roundtable, and Hawaii Medical Association; and

(b) Adding members appointed by UH's All Campus Council of Faculty Senate Chairpersons, UH's System Student Caucus, UH's Native Hawaiian Council or Pu Ko'a, and HGEA;

(3) Changing the membership of BOR as follows:

(a) Decreasing the number of members from twelve to eleven; and

(b) Requiring a certain number of members to represent specific geographic areas;

and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1687, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1687, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

		____________________________ TOMMY WATERS, Chair