STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2591

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3059

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 3059 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal the sunset provision in Act 39, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017, the purpose of which was to provide express statutory authority to enable and facilitate the deployment of university educational and instructional resources, university managerial and fiscal resources, and university personnel to promote the economic health and diversification of workforce opportunities in the State through the commercialization of inventions and discoveries generated by or at the University of Hawaii.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System; Hawaii Business Roundtable; Spectrum Photonics; Adnoviv, Inc.; Elemental Excelerator; and a private individual.

Your Committee finds that universities across the country increasingly recognize that they can play an active role to support the transformation of inventions and discoveries generated on their campuses and to advance these technologies to the commercial realm. Your Committee recognizes that the University of Hawaii needs to keep pace with its peers to remain competitive in attracting sponsored research, enterprising faculty, and talented students.

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 S.B. No. 3059 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair