CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 170

                            Honolulu, Hawaii
                                            , 1999

                            RE:   H.B. No. 260
                                  H.D. 2
                                  S.D. 1
                                  C.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the
House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate
in H.B. No. 260, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

    "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EARLY CHILDHOOD,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to
recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final
passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure that all of Hawaii's
children will be safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in school by
improving the affordability, accessibility, quality, and
coordination of early childhood services.

     With the passage of time, issues evolve, approaches to
addressing issues are revised, and terminology changes.  As
education for young children has become more important, what was
once known as "child care" is now commonly known as "early
childhood education and care."  However, state statutes and
departmental rules may continue to use the obsolete term.


 
 
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     Your Committee on Conference urges the Department of Human
Services (DHS) to review the Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) and
its administrative rules during the legislative interim to
identify inappropriate references to "child care."  DHS is
subsequently urged to change these references in its
administrative rules to "early childhood education and care";
provided the changes do not jeopardize federal funding.  In
addition, DHS is requested to recommend prior to the 2000 Regular
Session the necessary amendments to HRS in bill form to update
the terminology.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by
deleting all appropriations provisions and inserting a means for
early childhood screening when a child reaches the age of three.

     Your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent
and purpose of H.B. No. 260, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein,
and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 260, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted,

MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE        MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE
           SENATE                              HOUSE
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Co-Chair     DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Co-Chair
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair           ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Co-
                                   Chair
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair             BERTHA C. KAWAKAMI, Co-Chair
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
JONATHAN CHUN, Member              MICHAEL P. KAHIKINA, Member

 
 
 
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______________________________     ______________________________
WHITNEY ANDERSON, Member           DAVID A. PENDLETON, Member