STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1167-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.C.R. No. 186
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.C.R.
No. 186 entitled: 

     "HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF
     EDUCATION TO ALLOW WATER AND OCEAN-BASED SPORTS IN HAWAII'S
     SCHOOLS AND TO ESTABLISH OUTRIGGER CANOE PADDLING AS A
     SANCTIONED SCHOOL SPORT STATEWIDE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to urge the
Department of Education (DOE) to:

     (1)  Allow water and ocean-based sports in public schools;
          and 

     (2)  Establish outrigger canoe paddling as a sanctioned
          school sport statewide.

     Tesoro Hawaii Corporation, the President of the Hawaii Canoe
Racing Association, and several individuals supported this
concurrent resolution.  The DOE supported the intent of this
concurrent resolution.

     Your Committee finds that outrigger canoe paddling provides
students with a very positive extracurricular activity  in which
to participate.  The success of the two-year pilot project within
the Oahu Interscholastic Association has shown that there is
significant interest in this traditional Hawaiian sport.
However, DOE safety standards regarding ocean activities make the

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1167-00
                                 Page 2

 
status of outrigger canoe paddling and the ability of the sport
to become an official sanctioned sport difficult to determine.
Your Committee finds that there should be an exception made to
current administrative procedures regarding ocean activities to
allow outrigger canoe paddling to become a public school sport on
a permanent basis. 

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
concurrent resolution by:

     (1)  Changing the word "urging" in the title to "requiring"
          to strengthen the purpose of this measure;

     (2)  Restricting the scope of the title to only outrigger
          canoe paddling, and removing references to other water
          and ocean-based activities so that, as amended, the
          title reads:  REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND
          THE HAWAII HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION TO ALLOW
          OUTRIGGER CANOE PADDLING TO BE A SANCTIONED SCHOOL
          SPORT STATEWIDE;

     (3)  Requiring the Hawaii High School Athletic Association
          (HHSAA) to work with the DOE to establish outrigger
          canoe paddling as a sanctioned high school sport;

     (4)  Mentioning that outrigger canoe paddling is the
          official state team sport;

     (5)  Adding the HHSAA to the list of organizations to whom
          the concurrent resolution is to be transmitted; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your
Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 186,
as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the
Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No.
186, H.D. 1.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair