STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1584

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   S.B. No. 1093

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 1093, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL READINESS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to more adequately prepare Hawaii's children for success in school by establishing a School Readiness Program as part of the State's Early Learning System.

 

     The Governor, Department of the Attorney General, Department of Education, Department of Human Resources Development, Department of Human Services, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Public Safety, University of Hawaii, State Adjutant General, Office of the Mayor of Hawaii County, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, Child & Family Service, Hawaii P-20, Aloha United Way, The Queen's Health Systems, Hawaii Business Roundtable, Hawaii Pacific Health, The Pacific Resource Partnership, PHOCUSED, Good Beginnings Alliance, Partners in Development Foundation, Early Learning Advisory Board, Kamehameha Schools, First Insurance Company of Hawaii, Atherton Family Foundation, Colliers International-Hawaii, Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture, Young Democrats of Hawaii, Hawaii Construction Alliance, Alaska Native Language Center, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hui for Excellence in Education, Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, Papa Ola Lokahi, Office of the President of Hawai‘i Pacific University, an Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee representing Kauai and Niihau, and over two hundred concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Hawaii Catholic Conference, Hawaii Catholic Schools, Hawaii Family Forum, and a concerned individual opposed this measure.  The Department of Health; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Hawaii Teacher Standards Board; American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i; ‘Aha Pūnana Leo; Dinι College, Tribal College of the Navajo Nation; Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children; Hawai‘i Bilingual/Hawai‘i Ōlelo Pālua; Hawaii Baptist Early Education Association; Faith Based Early Learning Coalition; and over one hundred and fifty concerned individuals provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Specifying that the School Readiness Program will prepare children for school through either of the State's two official languages;

 

     (2)  Specifying that eligible providers include entities providing family-child interaction learning programs and entities providing Hawaiian language medium early learning programs;

 

     (3)  Clarifying that eligible providers must meet Hawaiian or English language medium education standards, as applicable;

 

     (4)  Authorizing, rather than mandating, the inclusion of certain specified standards to be established under the School Readiness Program;

 

     (5)  Specifying that eligible providers must comply with all applicable state and federal laws;

 

     (6)  Authorizing the Executive Office on Early Learning to adopt rules concerning compliance with all applicable state and federal laws;

 

     (7)  Removing the definition of "low- and moderate-income family";

 


     (8)  Inserting an unspecified appropriation for fiscal biennium 2013-2015 for the Executive Office on Early Learning to establish a statewide school readiness program; and

 

     (9)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1093, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1093, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair