STAND. COM. REP. NO. 459

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 284
                                     H.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No.
284 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to statutorily establish the
Hawaii State Student Council consisting of student
representatives from each departmental school district.  Among
other things this bill requires the:

     (1)  Council to conduct an annual conference of secondary
          students;

     (2)  Council to determine the method of selecting the
          student member of the Board of Education;

     (3)  Council to appoint a conference committee to plan and
          coordinate the annual student conference; and

     (4)  Department of Education to assign a part-time or full-
          time staff member to assist the Council as a staff
          advisor to the Council and another as a staff advisor
          to the conference committee.

     Finally, the bill repeals chapter 317, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, which established an annual conference of secondary

 
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                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 459
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school students to identify school problems that require the
attention and joint action by the students, Department of
Education, and the Legislature.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the intent
of this bill from the Department of Education, with concerns
expressed over the requirement to assign staff advisors by
statute.  Other testimony in support was received from the Hawaii
State Teachers Association and many student representatives from
Hawaii's schools.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by making technical,
nonsubstantive amendments.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
284, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 284, H.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Education,



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair

 
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