STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1574-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: S.C.R. No. 123
                                     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 S.C.R.
No. 123 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF
     EDUCATION TO COMPLY WITH EXISTING LAW AND REGULATIONS TO
     PREVENT THE EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONS WITH CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS
     IN POSITIONS WHICH PLACE THEM IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO
     CHILDREN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request the
Department of Education (DOE) to review internal policy to ensure
statewide compliance with existing law requiring criminal history
record checks for persons working with children.

     The DOE supported this concurrent resolution.

     Your Committee finds that this concurrent resolution
addresses a very important issue in Hawaii's schools.  It is
imperative that students are not placed in close contact in the
schools with persons who are known criminals.  However, your
Committee would like this concurrent resolution to specifically
address the fact that criminal history checks are only conducted
after an employee is hired, sometimes resulting in the hire of
persons with serious criminal histories who are allowed to work
with or around children while their background check is being
considered.


 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1574-00
                                 Page 2

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

     (1)  Including a request to the Board of Education (Board)
          to investigate the possibility of conducting a criminal
          record check prior to the hiring of an applicant; and

     (2)  Transmitting a certified copy of the concurrent
          resolution to the Chairperson of the Board.

     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 S.C.R. No. 123,
as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the
Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs in the form attached
hereto as S.C.R. No. 123, H.D. 1.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair