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THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2997

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The purpose of this Act is to establish a civil engineering scholarship program and appropriate moneys which will promote the civil engineering profession, offer financial assistance, on-the-job training, and employment opportunities to qualified students of Hawaii, in the department of transportation.

SECTION 2. Section 26-19, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§26-19 Department of transportation. The department of transportation shall be headed by a single executive to be known as the director of transportation.

The department shall establish, maintain, and operate transportation facilities of the State, including highways, airports, harbors, and such other transportation facilities and activities as may be authorized by law.

The department shall plan, develop, promote, and coordinate various transportation systems management programs that shall include, but not be limited to, alternate work and school hours programs, bicycling programs, and ridesharing programs.

The department shall develop and promote ridesharing programs which shall include but not be limited to, carpool and vanpool programs, and may assist organizations interested in promoting similar programs, arrange for contracts with private organizations to manage and operate these programs, and assist in the formulation of ridesharing arrangements. Ridesharing programs include informal arrangements in which two or more persons ride together in a motor vehicle.

The functions and authority heretofore exercised by the department of public works with respect to highways are transferred to the department of transportation established by this chapter.

On July 1, 1961, the Hawaii aeronautics commission, the board of harbor commissioners and the highway commission shall be abolished and their remaining functions, duties, and powers shall be transferred to the department of transportation.

Upon the abolishment of the Hawaii aeronautics commission, the board of harbor commissioners, and the highway commission, there shall be established within the department of transportation a commission to be known as the commission on transportation which shall sit in an advisory capacity to the director of transportation on matters within the jurisdiction of the department of transportation. The commission on transportation shall consist of not more than eleven members, with the number of members from each county insofar as practicable being approximately proportional to the population of the respective counties to the population of the State; provided that each of the four counties shall be represented by at least one member.

The department may develop a scholarship program open to high school graduates of accredited high schools in Hawaii, or high school graduates who are residents of Hawaii, who have successfully completed an acceptable high school pre-college curriculum. The department of transportation shall develop, without having to comply with chapter 91, the criteria and guidelines for the scholarship program that will include the qualification requirements, conditions for the scholarship, and reimbursement provisions.

Students awarded scholarships must agree by contract (with the written approval of a parent or guardian when the applicant is under twenty-one years of age) to apply for full-time civil service employment with the department of transportation immediately after graduation from an accredited civil engineering program, and, if hired, complete one year of full-time employment with the department for each school year in the scholarship program. A participant who fails to graduate from an accredited civil engineering program or who fails to apply for employment with the department of transportation, shall reimburse the department the full amount of moneys received. A participant who leaves the department before completing the required number of years of employment, shall reimburse the department of transportation the amount of scholarship moneys received by the participant for each year on scholarship that corresponds to each year for which the participant fails to complete the employment requirement.

Summer employment may be offered to scholarship students as long as they make reasonable progress in their academic work and prove satisfactory in summer work."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the special fund of the general administration of the department (TRN 995) the sum of $100,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, for fiscal year 2004-2005 to implement the department of transportation's engineering scholarship program. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of transportation for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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BY REQUEST