Bill Text: HI HCR151 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Resolution Supporting Access to Debt-Free Higher Education

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 24-3)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-04-08 - Referred to HEA, WAM. [HCR151 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2016-HCR151-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	151
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

SUPPORTING ACCESS TO DEBT-FREE HIGHER EDUCATION AT PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the economic competitiveness of the United States, including Hawaii, in the global economy requires a well-educated workforce; and

 

     WHEREAS, students in Hawaii currently average about $23,000 in debt upon graduation from a four year college, and a majority of students take six years or more to obtain a Bachelor's degree, which significantly hinders their ability to participate in the local economy; and

 

     WHEREAS, current and future generations of young people in Hawaii should have the same opportunities as those who went to college in previous generations, including the ability to attend state colleges and universities without taking on burdensome debt; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2016, higher education is more important than ever because it is an essential step to entering and remaining in the middle class; and

 

     WHEREAS, public investment in higher education pays off, as evidenced by the fact the GI Bill resulted in a seven to one return on investment for our national economy and workers with college degrees earn more money, pay more taxes, and rely less on government services; and

 

     WHEREAS, student loan debt saddles the very students who most depend on a college degree to level the economic playing field with a burden that constrains their career choices and hurts their credit rating, prevents them from fully participating in the economy, and threatens their achievement of essential milestones of the American dream including purchasing a home or car, starting a family, and saving for retirement; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal Schatz-Schumer-Warren Senate debt-free college Concurrent Resolution and Grijalva-Ellison-Clark House debt-free college Concurrent Resolution have gained national momentum in recent months, becoming central in the national dialogue around higher education; and

 

     WHEREAS, achieving a national goal of debt-free college will necessarily include significant federal aid to states, including Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the Senate concurring, that this body supports efforts to enact legislation that:

 

(1)  Ensures, through a combination of efforts, all students have access to debt-free higher education, defined as having no debt upon graduation from any public institution of higher education;

 

(2)  Increases investments in higher education and brings down costs for students;

 

(3)  Increases aid to students, helping them cover the total cost of college attendance without taking on debt;

 

(4)  Encourages innovation by the State and its institutions of higher education to increase efficiency, lower costs, and enable speedy and less costly degree completion; and

 

(5)  Reduces the burden of existing student loan debt; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States; the Majority Leader of the United States Senate; the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives; the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation; the Governor; the Superintendent of Education; the Chairperson and members of the Board of Education; and the President and respective Chancellors of the University of Hawaii system.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Resolution Supporting Access to Debt-Free Higher Education