STAND. COM. REP. NO. 243

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 681

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 681 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FOR PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to programs at the University of Hawaii that provide support to individuals from underserved or disadvantaged populations in pursuit of post-secondary education.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the University of Hawaii, the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training, the Filipino Coalition for Solidarity, the Oahu Filipino Community Council, the United Filipino Community Council, and twenty-three individuals.

     Your Committee finds that with the multitude of disciplines and degrees offered by the University of Hawaii, certain ethnic and low-income groups are often underrepresented in undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs.  Representation is particularly low in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  The Graduate Professional Access Program and the Health Careers Opportunity Program at the University of Hawaii provide pipelines to higher education for disadvantaged students and students from underrepresented populations and support services to ensure successful graduation and employment rates.  Continued funding of these programs will support an increased number of qualified faculty and professionals in the workforce, particularly from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities in underrepresented fields.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 681, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 681, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair