Report Title:

UH; DOT; Engineering Scholarship Program

Description:

Establishes a civil engineering scholarship program in the department of transportation. (SD2)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2997

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

S.D. 2

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 and offer financial assistance, on-the-job training, and employment opportunities to qualified students of Hawaii, in the department of transportation.

SECTION 2. Chapter 26, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§26-   Department of transportation; civil engineering scholarship program. (a) The department of transportation may develop a civil engineering 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. If the department of transportation establishes a civil engineering scholarship program, the department of transportation may award civil engineering scholarships to qualified students. The department of transportation shall establish, without having to comply with chapter 91, the criteria and guidelines for the scholarship program that shall include but not be limited to the qualification requirements, conditions for the scholarship, reimbursement provisions, and alternate options in which a scholarship participant may participate in order to otherwise fulfill their employment obligation under a scholarship agreement, if the participant is not hired by the department of transportation upon the participant's graduation under subsections (b)(1) or (e); provided that the tuition component amount of a civil engineering scholarship award shall be limited to the resident tuition cost of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

(b) Students awarded scholarships shall 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 at the University of Hawaii, and if hired, complete one year of full-time employment with the department of transportation for each school year in the scholarship program. A participant who fails to:

(1) Graduate from an accredited civil engineering program at the University of Hawaii; or

(2) Apply for employment with the department of transportation immediately upon graduation as provided in this subsection or in subsection (e),

shall reimburse the department of transportation the full amount of moneys received.

(c) A participant who leaves the department of transportation 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 of scholarship that corresponds to each year for which the participant fails to complete the employment requirement.

(d) Summer employment may be offered by the department of transportation to scholarship students as long as they make reasonable progress in their academic work and prove satisfactory in summer work. The department of transportation shall establish guidelines to effectuate this subsection.

(e) Students awarded scholarships may postpone their work commitment after receiving their bachelors degree in order to actively pursue their masters degree."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the special fund of the general administration of the department of transportation (TRN 995) the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary, for fiscal year 2004-2005, to implement the department of transportation's civil 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; provided that section 3 shall take effect on July 1, 2050.