STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 503-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2041

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2041 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SENATOR OREN E. LONG SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to honor and recognize Senator Oren E. Long while supporting students enrolled at the University of Hawaii (UH) College of Education by:

(1) Establishing the Senator Oren E. Long Scholarship Program (Program);

(2) Establishing the Senator Oren E. Long Scholarship Program Special Fund (Long Special Fund) to support the Program; and

(3) Appropriating $200,000 for transfer into the Long Special Fund.

Several concerned individuals supported this bill.

UH and the Department of Education supported the intent of this bill. The Department of Budget and Finance submitted comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Stipulating that recipients of the awards from the Program be:

(A) Residents of Hawaii; and

(B) Enrolled in a state-approved teacher preparation program at UH;

(2) Deleting the condition that recipients of the awards from the Program be upperclassmen enrolled at the UH College of Education;

(3) Deleting the Long Special Fund;

(4) Establishing that funds for the Program shall be deposited into UH's Student Scholarship and Assistance Special Fund (Assistance Special Fund) to be used to support the Program;

(5) Clarifying that $200,000 be deposited into the Assistance Special Fund and used for the Program; and

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

Your Committee recognizes that concerns were raised regarding state funding of scholarship programs and, specifically, how the Program will remain solvent without any continuous influx of funds. Your Committee, however, feels that these financial issues would be better addressed by the Committee on Finance and has passed this measure out to continue discussion of the matter.

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. 2041, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2041, 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