STAND. COM. REP. 2759

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2175

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2175, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to create a trust fund for scholarships as a requirement of the State's participation in the federal Department of Education's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP).

In addition, this measure contains provisions so as not to hinder or impede the University's participation in GEAR UP.

Your Committee finds that the University of Hawaii has been designated as the Hawaii recipient of federal funds granted under GEAR UP. However, in order to be able to award scholarships under the requirements of GEAR UP, the university must establish a separate charitable trust to receive and hold the funds until the scholarships are awarded. In order to ensure that the University's participation in GEAR UP is not hindered or impeded, the measure includes provisions that exempt the establishment of the trust, the trust itself, and specification of scholarship criteria from the definitions of rules and rulemaking and deems that the trustees are not a political subdivision or public or quasi-public entity of the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2175, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair