STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1231

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1648

S.D. 1

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 S.B. No. 1648, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TUITION ASSISTANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to support our military forces by appropriating funds to provide tuition assistance to members of the Hawaii National Guard who are undergraduate students working toward degrees on any University of Hawaii (UH) campus.

UH, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and Hawaii National Guard Association testified in support of this bill. Two concerned individuals supported this measure with amendments. The Department of Defense supported the intent of this bill.

Your Committee has amended this bill by, among other things:

(1) Providing tuition refunds for qualifying children of certain law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical services, water safety, and air ambulance services personnel; Hawaii veterans; and other first responders who are killed in the line of duty;

(2) Providing tuition refunds to the following persons who are unable to attend college for more than 30 days in a semester as a result of their military duties:

(a) Members of the Hawaii National Guard or military reserves who are called into active duty; and

(b) Active-duty military personnel;

and

(3) 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 S.B. No. 1648, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1648, S.D. 1, 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