HSCR1285

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1285

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 1502

S.D. 1

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 S.B. No. 1502, S.D. 1, 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 to the University of Hawaii to hire faculty 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's campus for workforce development in the State's defense sector.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System; Hawaii Military Affairs Council; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce; and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that the State offers a unique opportunity for job growth and economic development, especially in the defense sector, through its important geographic location. During fiscal year 2022, the State received almost $9,000,000,000 in defense spending. Additionally, from fiscal years 2018 to 2022, defense-related jobs increased by about ten thousand. Many of these jobs are in the areas of information technology, cybersecurity, intelligence, and data science, providing good‑paying jobs for the State's local economy. Your Committee further finds that providing funds to the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Business Administration Program at the University of Hawaii-West Oahu campus to hire additional faculty positions will help the State meet the growing demand for jobs in the defense sector.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the number of positions to be funded to an unspecified number;

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

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments 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 funds for the following:

(1) The establishment of:

(A) Two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) assistant professors in international economics, trade, and security;

(B) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) professor of practice in intelligence studies;

(D) One half-time equivalent (0.5 FTE) graduate research assistant,

in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for workforce development in the defense sector of the State's economy; and

(2) The establishment of:

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

(B) One half-time equivalent (0.5 FTE) faculty for the Director of the Cybersecurity Research Laboratory,

for the business administration program at the University of Hawaii-West Oahu campus for workforce development in the defense sector of the State's economy.

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. 1502, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1502, S.D. 1, 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