STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2330

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2131

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Higher Education and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2131 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii (Board of Regents) to waive the nonresident tuition and fee differential for veterans of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy, who were honorably discharged.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Alliance of Student Veterans, Young Democrats of Hawaii, Young Democrats of Maui County, and eleven individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and one individual.

     Your Committees find that this measure addresses an issue of statewide concern.  The Board of Regents' current policies do not offer a waiver of the nonresident tuition differential to veterans who are honorably discharged from active duty within the State of Hawaii or for those veterans who want to come to the State to attend the University of Hawaii.

     Your Committees further find that a number of states currently have laws that waive certain residency requirements to allow veterans to attend state universities in states other than their state of residency upon separating from the military.  Allowing a waiver of the nonresident tuition differential to veterans will expand veterans' educational opportunities by allowing them to attend college within the University of Hawaii System at the resident tuition rate.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2131, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2131, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair

____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair