STAND. COM. REP. NO. 648________

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 261
                                     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 Higher Education and Education, to which
was referred H.B. No. 261 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to establish standards for
measuring child development outcomes and for tracking the State's
children in achieving these outcomes.

     Written testimony in support of the bill was received from
the Center on the Family and Hawaii Kids Count of the College of
Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources of the University of
Hawaii.  In oral testimony the Center on the Family recommended
an amendment.  The Department of Education and the Department of
Health testified in support of the intent of the bill.

     Your Committees find that child development data are
required to get an accurate representation of the status of
children in Hawaii.  Only then can priorities be wisely
established and resources targeted to address the greatest needs.

     Your Committees agree with the recommendation of the Center
on the Family.  The bill has been amended by:

     (1)  Deleting that the appropriation shall be used to
          purchase services to collect data, so that the
          University of Hawaii itself shall measure child
          development outcomes; and

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 648________
                                 Page 2

 
     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive revisions for purposes
          of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Higher Education and Education that are attached to
this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 261, as amended herein, and recommend that it
be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 261, H.D. 1.

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





_____________________________      _______________________________
KEN ITO, Chair                     DAVID MORIHARA, Chair