STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1460

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 510
                                        H.D. 1
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B.
No. 510, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to allow the Board of Education
to hire its own legal counsel to assist the Department of
Education with issues involving children with disabilities.

     Your Committee finds that the Felix v. Waihee decision found
that the State of Hawaii has not been providing sufficient
educational and mental health services to certain students with
disabilities.  Since 1994, the time of the Felix consent decree,
the Department of Education has not been able to obtain
sufficient legal representation in lawsuits brought by parents of
some of these students.  Your Committee finds that the board
needs the ability to hire its own legal counsel to assist the
department in its issues involving children with disabilities.
Your Committee further finds that all services to be provided
should be of benefit at the school level, for both school
personnel and the families of concerned children.

     Your Committee has amended the bill by adding the words "or
retained" at page 2, line 7, and by making technical
nonsubstantive amendments.

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1460
                                   Page 2


     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
510, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it
pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 510,
H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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