Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1648 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate $1,000,000 in each year of the 2005-2007 fiscal biennium to provide tuition assistance to members of the Hawaii National Guard who are undergraduate students working toward a degree on any campus of the University of Hawaii system.

Your Committee finds that providing financial assistance to members of the Hawaii National Guard who are undergraduate students working toward a degree at the University of Hawaii system will assist the Hawaii National Guard in its recruitment and retention efforts.

Your Committee has amended the measure by changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount as a means of ensuring further discussion on this issue.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1648, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1648, S.D. 1.