Amends powers of School To Work Executive Council; administratively places Council within the Department of Education; reinstates the Director of Human Services on the Council and removes the Director of Human Resources Development; and appropriates unspecified funds for the Council.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Act 343, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, is amended by amending section 1 to read as follows:

"SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaii and the rest of the states are undertaking a major initiative that involves reforming education, developing its workforce, and stimulating economic development. The states are attempting to create a school-to-work system that all major industrialized countries have in place except for the United States. To help accomplish this, Congress enacted the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, P.L. 103-239. Hawaii [will receive $10,200,000 over a five-year period to build] had received $10,625,000 by September 2000, to assist in building a school-to-work system.

Building a school-to-work [opportunities] system is a difficult and enormous undertaking. It requires systemic change and involvement of all segments of the community in the effort, particularly business, industry, and labor. Moreover, it must involve all of education from kindergarten [to] through postsecondary education, all academic and vocational disciplines, and all students.

Building a school-to-work system requires time. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, Public Law 103-239, provided five years of "seed" money to begin the process. Five years is not enough time to bring about the systemic changes that need to occur. If school-to-work is to continue, then it must receive support from state and local entities.

The purpose of this Act is to [establish] continue the development of a school-to-work [opportunities] system in Hawaii, including the mechanism for governance, management, and distribution of federal and state resources."

SECTION 2. Act 343, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, is amended by amending section 2 to read as follows:

"SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"PART    . [SCHOOL TO WORK OPPORTUNITIES PILOT PROJECT]

§302A-    Hawaii school-to-work [opportunities] executive council; establishment; composition. (a) There is established a Hawaii school-to-work [opportunities] executive council. The members of the council shall be appointed by the governor. The council shall consist of up to, but not more than, twenty-one members. Council membership shall consist of [six]:

A student member[,] and a voting majority representing business, industry, labor, and community organizations [which] that include regional representations from all counties shall be appointed pursuant to section 26-34.

(b) The length of service for [the]:

Terms shall be staggered with one-third of the members being appointed in each fiscal year.

[(b)] (c) Vacancies shall be filled by the governor for the unexpired term. The governor shall appoint as chairperson of the council a member other than a state agency head or a board of education or board of regents member who shall be recommended by the council.

[(c)] (d) The council members shall serve without pay but shall be entitled to their traveling expenses within the State when attending meetings of the council or when actually engaged in business relating to the work of the council.

§302A-    Powers of the council. The powers of the Hawaii school-to-work [opportunities] executive council shall include[,] but not be limited to:

§302A-    Staff. The [Hawaii school-to-work opportunities executive council] department may appoint such staff as deemed necessary, not subject to chapters 76 and 77, to carry out [its] the functions and duties[. The staff of the council shall report to the executive director.] of school-to-work.

§302A-    Contracts. The Hawaii school-to-work [opportunities] executive council [or its executive director] may advise the department to make, execute, enter into, amend, supplement, and carry out contracts, and all other instruments the council finds are necessary or convenient for the fulfillment of its functions and duties.

§302A-    Organizational relationships. The Hawaii school-to-work [opportunities] executive council shall act as the [governing] advocacy board for the school-to-work system. The Hawaii school-to-work [opportunities] council [and staff] shall be placed within the department of education for administrative purposes."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,000,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002, to provide funds for the Hawaii school-to-work executive council. The funds may be used to carry out the council's responsibilities relating to school-based learning, work-based learning, evaluation, fiscal accounting, and administration; provided that no funds shall be released unless matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.