STAND. COM. REP. NO. 613

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 1352

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1352 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the University of Hawaii I Hoa Na Moolelo Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that the University of Hawaii I Hoa Na Moolelo Program is a project developed by University of Hawaii Associate Professor Kahikina de Silva in 2021 to create a quarterly children's magazine for Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian language immersion and charter school students from grades 2 through 6 on Oahu. Your Committee further finds that the I Hoa Na Moolelo Program provides an efficient and cost effective way to sustain and strengthen ʻŌlelo Hawaii and meet the needs of Hawaiian language communities. This measure will provide funding for additional resources for I Hoa Na Moolelo Program to continue its work in advancing the education of ʻŌlelo Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Allowing for the use of the funds appropriated for the University of Hawaii I Hoa Na Moolelo Program to include the hiring of a graduate assistant, hiring of undergraduate writers, and acquiring a new website domain;

(2) Changing the amount appropriated to an unspecified amount; and

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $179,378 for the University of Hawaii I Hoa Na Moolelo Program.

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. 1352, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1352, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ANDREW TAKUYA GARRETT, Chair