STAND. COM. REP. NO. 439

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 442

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. 442 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 appropriate funds for various nursing programs of the University of Hawaii System.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System; East Hawaii Region of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Hawaiʻi State Center for Nursing; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; and AlohaCare. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Academic Labor United and one individual.

Your Committee finds that growing demand for skilled nursing professionals is critical to addressing health care shortages and ensuring the well-being of the State's communities. Your Committee further finds that investing in nursing education programs of the University of Hawaii not only strengthens Hawaii's health care system but also supports economic growth, improves health outcomes, and enhances the State's capacity to provide equitable and accessible care for all residents.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriations to unspecified amounts;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider appropriating the following amounts:

(1) $447,936 for fiscal year 2025-2026 and fiscal year 2026-2027 for University of Hawaii, Manoa (UOH 100)-University of Hawaii, West Oahu nursing collaboration phase III;

(2) $111,984 for fiscal year 2025-2026 and fiscal year 2026-2027 for the University of Hawaii, Manoa (UOH 100) for the online RN to BS program;

(3) $424,364 for fiscal year 2025-2026 and fiscal year 2026-2027 for the University of Hawaii, West Oahu (UOH 700) for the pre-nursing pathway; and

(4) $297,500 for fiscal year 2025-2026 and $595,000 for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UOH210) to increase its school of nursing cohort size.

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. 442, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 442, 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