STAND. COM. REP. NO. 544

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 636

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 636 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the University of Hawaii to establish the following at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo):

(1) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) Retention Coordinator position;

(2) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) Internship Coordinator position; and

(3) Student enrollment management initiatives.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

Your Committee finds that UH Hilo has suffered from declining enrollment rates for three consecutive years for a myriad of reasons, including its limited brand exposure outside of the State resulting in difficulty in retaining students from the mainland and an increase in online educational opportunities. Your Committee finds that funding positions and initiatives at UH Hilo is vital to ensuring that the school has the necessary staff and resources to retain students and bolster enrollment. This measure invests in positions and initiatives at UH Hilo to address student enrollment and retention.

Your Committee notes that it is unfeasible for UH Hilo to sustain the positions and initiatives requested in this measure with regular legislative appropriations, and recommends that UH Hilo reinvest any additional tuition revenue generated from increased student enrollment and retention to support the requested positions and initiatives. Your Committee believes that the Legislature should revisit this issue, including considering using lapsed funds for a performance-based budget from UH900.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriations to unspecified amounts;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; 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 S.B. No. 636, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 636, 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,

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair