HI HB426

Requires the University of Hawaii system, including community colleges, to waive tuition for qualified students under age 24 who demonstrate financial need and are dependent children of eligible veterans or service members.

Eligibility extends to children of: disabled veterans with 100% service-connected disability rating, active or reserve members killed in action while serving in foreign locations, and Purple Heart recipients awarded in 2001 or later.

Requires the veteran or service member to have been domiciled in Hawaii for at least five years, or to have been domiciled in the state for five years at the time of their death.

Defines "dependent child" to include adopted children and stepchildren who have been dependents of the eligible veteran, guard member, or Purple Heart recipient for at least five years prior to applying for the tuition waiver.

Authorizes the board of regents to adopt rules to implement the tuition waiver program, effective upon approval.