STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1203

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.R. No. 151

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.R. No. 151 entitled:

 

"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO ESTABLISH A THREE-YEAR MORATORIUM ON ANY INCREASES OF RESIDENT TUITION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii to establish a three-year moratorium on any increases of resident tuition.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the University of Hawaii System.

 

     Your Committee finds that the University of Hawaii System is one of five public institutions in the United States with the fastest rates of increase in tuition and fees in the past five years.

 

     Your Committee further finds that the Board of Regents recently revised its Executive Policy E6.201, which establishes tuition schedules for the academic years of 2012-2013 through 2016-2017, with year-to-year tuition increases of approximately 3.1 percent in 2012-2013, 5.5 percent in 2013-2014, and 7.5 percent in each of the academic years 2014-2015, 2015-2016, and 2016-2017.

 

     Your Committee notes that the University of Hawaii System testified that it has adjusted the tuition schedule due, in part, to the need to address its backlog of deferred maintenance projects.  It is unclear if the tuition will be further adjusted based upon the University's receipt of an appropriation during this legislative session for its deferred maintenance projects.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Updating the tuition information to accurately reflect the latest tuition schedules as approved by the Board of Regents;

 

     (2)  Requesting the Board of Regents to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature promptly upon the completion of its 2014 mid-schedule review of the tuition increases; 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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 151, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 151, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

 

 

 

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair