STAND. COM. REP. NO. 507

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     S.B. No. 312

        S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 312 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD CARE WORKERS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Require the Department of Human Services to establish and administer a two-year Infant and Toddler Child Care Worker Subsidy Pilot Program;

 

     (2)  Require the Department of Human Services to submit annual reports on the pilot program's development and administration to the Legislature; and

 

     (3)  Appropriate an unspecified amount of funds for the Infant and Toddler Child Care Worker Subsidy Pilot Program.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Executive Office on Early Learning, Early Learning Board, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, Holomua Collaborative, Early Childhood Action Strategy, Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, HPM Building Supply, Hawaii Gas, AAUW of Hawaii, Domestic Violence Action Center, Hawaii Association of School Psychologists, Title Guaranty of Hawaii, aio Foundation, Tori Richard, and twenty-three individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services and the Department of the Attorney General.

 

     Your Committee finds that a strong child care and early education workforce is necessary to support the working families, children, and communities of the State; however, the demand for quality child care and early education far exceeds the number of qualified child care and early education professionals currently available in in Hawaii, therefore hindering the efforts to maintain and expand quality, affordable child care and early education programs.  This measure will enable the Legislature to make well informed decisions on effective ways to address child care issues by requiring the Department of Human services to establish and administer a two-year pilot program that seeks to retain the existing early child care workforce in licensed infant and toddler centers and report the result to the Legislature.

 

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying that participation shall also be prohibited to child care workers employed by a private educational institution; and

 

     (2)  Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

 

     Your Committee acknowledges the testimony of the Department of Human Services concerning the constitutionality of this measure, as amended by your Committee, and requests that the Department of the Attorney General review the amended measure to determine whether this measure as amended complies with constitutional requirements.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 312, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 312, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 


 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,

 

 

 

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair