STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3639
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: H.B. No. 2088
H.D. 1
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2020
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Education and Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2088, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The
purpose and intent of this measure is to:
(1) Establish a working
group to create a state plan to make Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion
a statewide graduation requirement and an opt-out waiver for FAFSA completion
by the 2022-2023 school year; and
(2) Appropriate funds.
Your Committees
received testimony in support of this measure from the State Public Charter
School Commission, Hawaii State Teachers Association, HawaiiKidsCAN, Chamber of
Commerce Hawaii, Maui Chamber of Commerce, Maui High School, and eight private
individuals. Your Committees received
testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees
Association and Molokai High School.
Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of
Education, Office of Information Practices, and a private individual.
Your Committees find that
motivating more students and providing resources to assist them in completing
their FAFSA will help ensure that high school graduates do not forgo
post-secondary educational opportunities simply because they cannot afford to pay
for them. This accords with the Hawaii
P-20 initiative's "55 by 25" goal of having fifty-five percent of
adults earn a college degree by 2025. Although
the State is making progress towards this objective, attainment remains at 46.3
percent. One potential avenue to help realize
this goal could be to follow Louisiana's example. A national success story, Louisiana's FAFSA
completion rate jumped from forty-four percent to nearly eighty percent after
they made FAFSA completion or an opt-out waiver a statewide graduation requirement.
Your Committees have
amended this measure by:
(1) Including a representative of the charter school community in the working group; and
(2) Making the working group subject to the Sunshine Law.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2088, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2088, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Higher Education,
________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair |
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________________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair |
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