SB171 expands the Hawaiʻi Community College Promise Program so that all qualified students at University of Hawaiʻi community college campuses can receive scholarship assistance for unmet direct costs, rather than the program operating on a limited, greatest-need basis tied to available funding. The bill states that the goal is to make community college effectively tuition-free for eligible Hawaiʻi residents by broadening access to higher education, increasing college-going rates, and improving educational opportunity for low-income and economically disadvantaged students.
To implement that change, the bill amends Hawaii Revised Statutes section 304A-506 to require the program to provide scholarships to qualified students for up to eight semesters, subject to residency, FAFSA completion, enrollment in a degree or certificate program with at least six credits per semester, satisfactory academic progress, and a determination of unmet direct cost need. For certificate students, the bill allows a suitable alternative instrument to measure need instead of FAFSA-based need. It also appropriates $20 million from general revenues for each of fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to fund the expanded eligibility.
Impact
The bill would materially change state higher education aid law by converting the Hawaiʻi Community College Promise Program from a limited, need-prioritized scholarship program into a broader entitlement-style scholarship program for all qualified community college students. It would also create a recurring general fund appropriation of $20 million per year for two fiscal years, with the University of Hawaiʻi responsible for administering the funds. The affected statute is section 304A-506, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and the bill would expand the pool of eligible recipients while preserving academic-progress and residency requirements.
Sentiment
The bill’s stated purpose and framing are strongly supportive of expanding college access, especially for low-income students and groups with lower college enrollment rates. The legislative findings emphasize affordability, workforce development, and equity, and the bill is presented as a practical step toward making community college tuition-free for Hawaiʻi residents. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no recorded opposition or support beyond the bill text itself; procedurally, the bill was re-referred to EDU and WAM, indicating it remained under committee consideration.
Contention
The main policy tension is fiscal and eligibility-related. Supporters of the bill’s approach would favor universal access for qualified students, while potential critics may question the $20 million annual appropriation, whether the estimate is sufficient, and whether expanding aid to all qualified students is the best use of limited state funds. Another possible point of contention is the requirement that students complete FAFSA and accept other aid, which may be seen as administratively burdensome, though the bill exempts certificate students from the FAFSA requirement. Because no hearing testimony or votes are included, specific named opponents or supporters cannot be identified from the record provided.
A resolution to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to only present to the Governor enrolled House bills finally passed by both houses of the One Hundred Third Legislature.
Relating to nonsubstantive additions to, revisions of, and corrections in enacted codes, to the nonsubstantive codification or disposition of various laws omitted from enacted codes, and to conforming codifications enacted by the 88th Legislature to other Acts of that legislature.