Bill Text: HI SB2250 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To The University Of Hawaii.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-22 - Referred to HRE, WAM. [SB2250 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-SB2250-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2250 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to the university of Hawaii.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that an educated labor force and engaged citizenry are essential in today's global, knowledge-based economy. Across the nation, states have set ambitious goals to boost college completion rates. The University of Hawaii's graduation initiative is a systemwide strategic initiative endorsed by the University of Hawaii board of regents with a goal to increase the educational capital of the State by increasing participation in, and completion of, college by students, particularly native Hawaiians, low-income students, and those from underserved regions and populations, and preparing them for success in the workforce and their communities.
Furthermore, Hawaii's own 55 by '25 campaign goal focuses on increasing the percentage of working-age adults with two- or four-year degrees to fifty-five per cent by 2025. According to the most recent data available, forty-four per cent of Hawaii's working-age adults have a postsecondary degree. As the State's sole public higher education system, the University of Hawaii is committed to doing its part to close the State's projected educational attainment gap.
In April 2016, the Institute for Research on Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education issued a study that analyzed college costs in relation to family income level. The study revealed how higher education has gone from expensive to unaffordable for most low- and middle-income families. According to this same study, Hawaii ranked third in the nation for overall college affordability and noted that the University of Hawaii community colleges are the most affordable public two-year institutions in the nation.
The report further acknowledged that despite Hawaii's overall high affordability ranking, attending college was a big expense for families earning less than $30,000 annually; that Hawaii's financial aid policies did little to alleviate costs for these families; and that the State provided minimal need-based aid to students attending public institutions.
Although the State does not budget for scholarships, University of Hawaii policy requires that a minimum percentage of tuition revenue be set aside for need-based scholarships, including 8.8 per cent at the community colleges. Even though financial aid through Pell grants, University of Hawaii and private scholarships, the GI Bill for service members and veterans, and employers cover much of the cost for need-based students, cost is still a barrier for certain need-based students.
The legislature further finds that in response to the growing need for additional sources of financial aid, Hawaii has recently implemented a financial aid program called the Hawaii promise program. The Hawaii promise program is a need-based award providing free in-state tuitions that are intended to be applied toward the unmet need of qualified students enrolled at any community college campus of the University of Hawaii. Recipients are selected based on certain criteria combined with the use of a selecting algorithm. The awards are contingent upon funding and amounts received by qualified recipients are determined by the individual students' Free Application for Federal Student Aid information.
The legislature notes that H.B. No. 1594, Regular Session of 2017, as amended, proposed to establish the Hawaii Promise program under law, but this measure did not pass the legislature. Instead, funding totaling $1,800,000 for each year of the fiscal biennium 2018 and 2019 for the Hawaii promise program was included in the state budget under the Act 49, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017. As a result of this legislative appropriation, almost one thousand students from the University of Hawaii's seven community colleges were awarded Hawaii Promise scholarships for the 2017 fall semester. This represents about four per cent of the twenty-three thousand students currently enrolled at University of Hawaii community colleges.
The purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Codify the Hawaii promise program into law to provide scholarships for the unmet direct cost needs of qualified students;
(2) Expand the Hawaii promise program to qualified students enrolled at any University of Hawaii campus in addition to qualified students enrolled at any University of Hawaii community college campus;
(3) Establish a special fund to maintain the Hawaii promise program; and
(4) Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, directs all revenues collected from resident and nonresident tuition fees to be deposited into the special fund.
SECTION 2. Chapter 304A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II, subpart B, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§304A-A Hawaii promise program; established. (a)
Notwithstanding section 304A-502, there is established the
Hawaii promise program to be administered by the board of regents. Beginning with the 2019-2020 school
year, the program shall provide scholarships for
the unmet direct cost needs of all qualified students enrolled at any campus of
the University of Hawaii.
(b)
A student enrolled at a community
college campus shall be eligible for scholarship consideration for a maximum of
eight semesters if the student:
(1) Qualifies for
Hawaii resident tuition;
(2) Completes and
submits the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for each academic year and
accepts all federal and state aid, grants, scholarships, and other funding
sources that do not require repayment;
(3) Is enrolled in
a classified degree or certificate program with six or more credits per
semester;
(4) Maintains
satisfactory academic progress, as defined by federal requirements established
pursuant to Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and
determined by the campus where the student is enrolled; and
(5) Has been
determined by the campus to have unmet direct cost needs.
(c)
A student enrolled at a University of
Hawaii campus, other than a community college campus, shall be eligible for
scholarship consideration for a maximum of eight semesters if the student:
(1) Qualifies
for Hawaii resident tuition;
(2) Completes and
submits the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for each academic year and
accepts all federal and state aid, grants, scholarships, and other funding
sources that do not require repayment;
(3) Is enrolled in
a classified degree or certificate program with fifteen or more credits per
semester;
(4) Maintains
satisfactory academic progress, as defined by federal requirements established
pursuant to Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and
determined by the campus where the student is enrolled; and
(5) Has been
determined by the campus to have unmet direct cost needs.
(d)
Scholarships shall be awarded to the
extent possible based on available funds and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
An award granted to a student shall be
equal to the student's unmet direct cost need, based on the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid calculation of need, less the amounts available to the
student from Pell grants and other scholarships.
(e)
To maintain a scholarship under this
section, a student shall:
(1) Maintain a
grade point average of 2.5 or higher, on a scale of 4.0 or its equivalent;
(2) Earn a minimum of:
(A) Twelve
credits in one academic year if the student is enrolled at a community college
campus; or
(B) Thirty
credits in one academic year if the student is enrolled at a University of
Hawaii campus other than a community college campus; and
(3) Comply with any
other conditions placed on the scholarship by the University of Hawaii.
(f)
A student who fails to comply with the
requirements of subsection (e) shall be placed on scholarship probation. Social, economic, and other factors, or other
extenuating circumstances as determined by the University of Hawaii shall be
considered in determining probation. If
the student demonstrates during the probation period satisfactory progress
toward meeting degree completion and satisfying the requirements of the
scholarship, the student shall be returned to good standing. Failure to meet the probationary period
requirements of this subsection shall result in revocation of the student's
scholarship, and the student shall be responsible for reimbursing the
University of Hawaii for up to two semesters of scholarship amounts received
under the program. A student may be
placed on scholarship probation only once during any eight-semester period at a
University of Hawaii campus. If a
student is returned to good standing after a period of probation, but
subsequently fails to comply with the requirements of subsection (e) at any
time within an eight-semester period, after
the return to good standing, the student's scholarship shall be revoked.
(g)
As used in this section, "direct
cost" means any cost directly related to a student's education. "Direct costs" include tuition,
educational fees, and the costs of books, supplies, and transportation between
the student's dwelling and the student's campus."
SECTION 3. Chapter 304A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part V, subpart C, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§304A-B
Hawaii promise program special fund.
(a) There is established the Hawaii promise
program special fund to be administered by the University of Hawaii into which
shall be deposited all resident and nonresident tuition fees charged pursuant
to section 304A-401(a). The special fund
shall be administered pursuant to the authority of the board of regents to
grant, modify, or suspend the scholarship and assistance under section
304A-501. This fund shall be used to
provide financial assistance to qualified students through Hawaii promise
program scholarships under section 304A-A.
(b)
The University of Hawaii shall submit a
report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of
each regular session with information on the special fund. The report shall include but not be limited
to:
(1) The number of
scholarships provided under the Hawaii promise program in the preceding year;
and
(2) Recommendations as appropriate to the
legislature on all tuition waivers.
(c) This fund is not intended to provide loans or keep track of payback provisions."
SECTION 4. Section 304A-401, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
"(a) The board of regents may charge resident and
nonresident tuition fees for regular courses of instruction at any University
of Hawaii campus, including any community college[.]; provided that
beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, all resident and nonresident tuition
fees charged and collected shall be deposited into the Hawaii promise program
special fund pursuant to section 304A-B."
SECTION 5. Section 304A-2153, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
"(a) There is established the University of Hawaii
tuition and fees special fund into which shall be deposited all revenue
collected by the university for regular, summer, and continuing education
credit tuition, tuition-related course and fee charges, and any other charges
to students, except as provided by law[.]; provided that beginning
with the 2018-2019 school year, all revenue collected from resident and
nonresident tuition fees shall be deposited into the Hawaii promise program
special fund pursuant to section 304A-B.
Moneys deposited into the fund shall be expended to maintain or improve
the university's programs and operations and shall not be:
(1) Used as a justification for reducing any budget request or allotment to the university unless the university requests such a reduction;
(2) Transferred unless otherwise authorized by the legislature; and
(3) Restricted by the governor or the director of finance without the prior approval of the legislature.
Any rule, policy, or action of any agency or individual in contravention of this subsection shall be void as against public policy."
SECTION 6. In codifying the new sections added by sections 2 and 3 of this Act, the revisor of statutes shall substitute appropriate section numbers for the letters used in designating the new sections in this Act.
SECTION 7. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2018.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
University of Hawaii; Hawaii Promise Program; Scholarships
Description:
Codifies the Hawaii promise program into law to provide scholarships for the unmet direct cost needs of qualified students beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. Expands the Hawaii promise program to qualified students enrolled at any University of Hawaii campus in addition to qualified students enrolled at any University of Hawaii community college campus. Establishes a special fund to maintain the Hawaii promise program. Directs all revenues collected from resident and nonresident tuition fees to be deposited into the special fund beginning with the 2018-2019 school year.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
