STAND. COM. REP. NO.  524

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 457

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 457 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to help the University of Hawaii comply with federal mandates contained in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 to effectively address sexual violence on campus by appropriating funds for staff and materials.

The University of Hawaii, University of Hawaii President's Commission on the Status of Women, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, Filipino Law Students Association, and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Filipino American Citizens League, Filipino Coalition for Solidarity, Filipinos for Affirmative Action, Nursing Advocates & Mentors, Inc., and numerous concerned individuals supported the measure with amendments.  A concerned individual opposed the measure.  A concerned individual submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended the measure by deleting the amount of the appropriations and changing its effective date to July 1, 2525, to encourage further discussion.  Technical amendments were also made for clarity, consistency, and style.

     Should your Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $1,139,182 for staff and materials.

     Your Committee received a significant amount of testimony seeking an amendment to appropriate funds to the University of Hawaii Prevention Awareness Understanding Violence Program (UH PAU Violence) to combat sexual violence on campus.  Your Committee notes that the current provisions of the bill are broad enough to include funding for such programs.

     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 H.B. No. 457, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 457, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ISAAC W. CHOY, Chair