STAND. COM. REP. NO. 93

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 723

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Higher Education and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 723 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to respond to workforce needs in Hawaii by:

 

     (1)  Adding as a purpose of the University of Hawaii Community College System the provision of occupational training and certification programs designed to rapidly qualify persons to fill new and hard-to-fill position classes of the State, counties, and private sector that require technical skills; and

 

     (2)  Appropriating funds to the University of Hawaii for occupational training and certification programs designed to rapidly qualify persons to fill new and hard-to-fill classes of non-professional positions.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii System, Department of Human Resources Development, and one individual.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

 

     Your Committees find that today's economy requires colleges to continually respond to the changing technical workforce demands in order to fill emerging employment positions and upgrade the skills of existing workers to meet changing requirements of their positions.  Your Committees further find that community colleges are a critical component of providing individuals with occupational and certification program career options to meet the workforce needs of the public and private sectors in Hawaii.  For example, short-term, rapid response training is needed to fill informational technology positions, security service positions, health and home care positions, and agricultural positions.  Therefore, your Committees find that it is important for the University of Hawaii Community College System to continue providing short-term, rapid response training to meet the continually changing requirements of the State's economy, and to make this responsibility explicit under state law.

 

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an effective date of May 12, 2059, to encourage further discussion.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 723, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 723, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education and Judiciary and Labor,

 

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair

 

________________________________

KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair