STAND. COM. REP. NO.  297

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2019

 

RE:   H.B. No. 248

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Lower & Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 248 entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to support the Executive Office on Early Learning Public Prekindergarten Program by appropriating funds to the Executive Office on Early Learning for additional operational costs for the Program, including personnel and associated equipment and furniture costs.

 

     The Office of the Governor, Hawaii Children's Action Network, and a few individuals supported this measure.  An individual opposed this measure.  The Executive Office on Early Learning, Early Learning Board, and an individual provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the amounts appropriated to the Executive Office on Early Learning and the allocations for those amounts to unspecified amounts; and

 

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

 

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee on Lower & Higher Education respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $57,094 for fiscal year 2019-2020 and $114,187 for fiscal year 2020-2021 to the Executive Office on Early Learning for additional operation costs for its Early Learning Public Prekindergarten Program, and to allocate those costs as follows:

 

     (1)  $42,281 for fiscal year 2019-2020 and $84,561 for fiscal year 2020-2021 for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) institutional analyst I position; and

 

     (2)  $14,813 for fiscal year 2019-2020 and $29,626 for fiscal year 2020-2021 for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) office assistant IV position.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Lower & Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 248, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 248, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Lower & Higher Education,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair