CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 117

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 1502

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1502, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the University of Hawaii for the establishment of faculty positions, student programs, and other expenses at the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Business Administration Program at the University of Hawaii West Oahu for workforce development to support the defense sector of the State's economy.

Your Committee on Conference finds that the defense industry is a critical economic driver for the State that provides lucrative jobs for the State's local economy. Your Committee on Conference further finds that there is a growing demand for jobs in defense-related fields and to meet this demand, the State should leverage the expertise offered at the University of Hawaii. This measure invests in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Business Administration Program at the University of Hawaii West Oahu to develop a skilled local workforce in the defense sector of the State's economy.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have appropriated funds to establish positions in the College of Social Science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for workforce development in the defense sector;

(2) Deleting language that would have appropriated funds for student housing, travel costs, material supplies, and operation of the Academy for Hawaii Intelligence Studies Summer Program at the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to develop a pipeline of talented students for workforce development in the defense sector;

(3) Inserting an appropriation amount of $195,000 for each year of the fiscal biennium for the establishment of the following positions:

(A) One half-time equivalent (0.5 FTE) faculty for the Director of the Cybersecurity Coordination Center; and

(B) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) faculty for the Director of the Cybersecurity Research Laboratory,

for the Business Administration Program at the University of Hawaii West Oahu for workforce development in the defense sector; and

(4) Inserting an appropriation amount of $270,000 for student internship programs, certification, software, and other related expenses for the Business Administration Program at the University of Hawaii West Oahu for workforce development in the defense sector of the State's economy; provided that federal funding is lost;

(5) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;

(6) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2025; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1502, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1502, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ ANDREW TAKUYA GARRETT Co-Chair	____________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM Chair
____________________________ DANIEL HOLT Co-Chair	____________________________ TROY N. HASHIMOTO Co-Chair