STAND. COM. REP. NO.  375-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

RE:   H.B. No. 1796

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1796 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO KUPUNA HONORARY DEGREE PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to establish the kupuna honorary degree program, which will award the pohaku degree to eligible Hawaiian kupuna.  The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) will develop and administer the program, intended to be Hawaii's equivalent to the Nobel Prize.

     OHA provided comments.

     Your Committee notes a concern that too many awards given too frequently will dilute the value of the awards themselves.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by changing "shall" to "may" to give OHA the flexibility to implement the program as financial resources become available.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1796, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1796, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

MELE CARROLL, Chair