Hawaii House Bill HR93

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/7/25
• Refer: 3/14/25
• Report Pass: 3/27/25
• Refer: 3/27/25

Caption

Urging The University Of Hawaii To Implement A Homeless Student Stability And Housing Resource Program To Address The Issue Of Housing Instability.

Summary

H.R. 93 is a House Resolution urging the University of Hawaii to create a homeless student stability and housing resource program to address student housing instability. The resolution is based on findings that a substantial share of University of Hawaii students experience basic needs insecurity, including housing insecurity, homelessness, and food insecurity, and that many students who may qualify for aid do not receive it because they are unaware of available programs or believe they are ineligible. The resolution also links housing instability to broader student well-being, especially mental health, and asks the university to use the results of a 2025 basic-needs survey to develop a plan to address basic needs insecurity, strengthen mental health services, and improve awareness of and access to support resources. It directs certified copies to the Board of Regents chair and the University of Hawaii president, signaling an institutional request rather than a statutory mandate.

Impact

This measure does not amend Hawaii statutes or create enforceable legal obligations; it is a nonbinding legislative resolution expressing the House’s position and urging action by the University of Hawaii. Its practical impact would be to encourage the university system to evaluate student basic-needs data, expand or formalize housing-related support, and potentially improve coordination of emergency aid, mental health services, and outreach to students.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is strongly supportive of intervention and student assistance. The bill’s findings emphasize the prevalence of housing insecurity and homelessness among students, the low rate of aid uptake, and the need for stronger mental health and basic-needs support, suggesting broad concern about student welfare and institutional responsiveness. No opposing testimony or recorded votes are provided, so the available context indicates a one-sided, advocacy-oriented measure.

Contention

The main points of concern embedded in the resolution are not partisan disputes but practical implementation issues: how the University of Hawaii will identify eligible students, increase awareness of aid, and fund or staff a housing resource program and expanded mental health services. The resolution also highlights a gap between recommended mental-health staffing ratios and current staffing at UH Manoa, implying concern about adequacy of services. Because no committee transcripts or votes are available, there is no documented opposition, but the implied tension is between student need and the university’s capacity to respond.