STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3312

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1488

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1488, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RESIDENCE FOR TUITION PURPOSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the tuition residency rules for the University of Hawaii to grant the resident tuition fee for enrollment at any University of Hawaii campus, including any community college, to individuals who have obtained a Hawaii high school diploma or equivalent credential and are working toward an undergraduate degree, under certain conditions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, University of Hawai‘i System, Kamehameha Schools, and four individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that increasing access to postsecondary educational opportunities in the State allows for Hawaii's high school graduates and individuals who possess equivalent credentials to pursue postsecondary educational goals. Simplifying the residency determination for admission into the University of Hawaii System will positively impact students who wish to pursue higher education while also reducing the barriers students may face while applying to a University of Hawaii campus. Additionally, simplifying residency requirements and the determination of residency will also assist high school students, recent graduates, and individuals with equivalent credentials who are homeless or experiencing complex family circumstances. Increasing access to postsecondary education for all students is in alignment with a larger collaborative effort in workforce development, as a significant number of jobs, particularly those affording a living wage, require postsecondary credentials.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Reducing the timeframe of eligibility for resident tuition from eight years to two years from the time the student received a high school diploma or its equivalent to the student's first day of official scheduled instruction at the University of Hawaii;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect that this measure is a matter of statewide concern; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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. 1488, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1488, 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 Committee on Higher Education,

________________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair