STAND. COM. REP. NO. 6-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 1937

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1937 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide to military families who have children enrolled in Hawaii's public schools a greater advisory role by allowing the military representative to the Board of Education (BOE) to:

(1) Be seated with other members of BOE during official meetings; and

(2) Participate in all discussions, including debates, about BOE matters.

The state Department of Defense, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and a concerned citizen testified in support of this bill. BOE and the Hawaii State Teachers Association expressed concerns about the measure.

Your Committee has amended the bill by:

(1) Retaining the function of the military representative as a liaison to BOE instead of making the representative a nonvoting ex-officio member of BOE;

(2) Allowing the military representative to participate in all discussions, including debates, about BOE matters, except during executive sessions of BOE; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style and clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1937, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1937, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Education.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs,

 

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair