STAND. COM. REP. NO. 297

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 260
                                     H.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health, to
which was referred H.B. No. 260 entitled: 

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

beg leave to report as follows:

     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
appropriating funds to improve the affordability, accessibility,
and quality of early childhood services.

     The Good Beginnings Alliance, the Maui County's Good
Beginning Alliance, the Childcare Business Coalition, Healthy
Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, the Hawaii
Association for the Education of Young Children, and the Kauai
Good Beginnings Community Council submitted testimony in support
of this measure.  The Department of Human Services (DHS)
submitted testimony in support of the intent of this measure.

     This measure represents the recommendations of the Joint
Legislative Committee on Early Childhood Education and Care,
established through House Concurrent Resolution No. 120 (1998),
of which each section represents parts of an early childhood
system designed to support the development of Hawaii's children.

     DHS suggested that the moneys in the revolving loan fund be
given out on a grant basis rather than a loan.  Your Committees
respectfully request the Committee on Finance to examine this
issue.

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 297
                                 Page 2

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Reducing all appropriations for purposes of further
          discussion;

     (2)  Replacing all references of "child care" with "early
          childhood education and care" in the Hawaii Revised
          Statutes; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for
          purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health that are
attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 260, as amended herein, and
recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto
as H.B. No. 260, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on
Finance.

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

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair       DENNIS ARAKAKI, Chair