STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1106_______

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 150
                                     H.D. 2




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which
was referred H.B. No. 150, H.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to make statutory amendments to
change the Board of Education from an elected to an appointed
body.

     Testimony in support of this bill was received from the
Hawaii Government Employees Association, the United Public
Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO, and the Hawaii Business
Roundtable.  Testimony in opposition to this bill was received
from the Board of Education, The Hawaii State Teachers
Association, and Common Cause Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds public education in Hawaii has suffered
as a result of a lack of accountability on the part of the
government.  While the Board of Education creates the educational
policy of the state and the Legislature appropriates funds for
educational purposes, the Governor still mandates which
educational programs will or will not be funded.  This creates an
ambiguity as to whom is ultimately responsible for Hawaii's
failing educational system.  This measure will allow the Governor
to appoint Board of Education members to better clarify the
accountability issue by making the Governor accountable for
public education in the same manner as the Governor is
accountable for all other executive branch departments.

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1106_______
                                 Page 2

 
     Your Committee has amended this bill by making technical,
nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 150, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto
as H.B. No. 150, H.D. 2.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary &
                                   Hawaiian Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   PAUL T. OSHIRO, Chair