Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1242 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to better utilize public school repair and maintenance funds.

Specifically this bill requires the Chief Procurement Officer to establish a preference program as an incentive for private contractors to provide voluntary assistance on school repair and maintenance projects.

Under this program, qualifying voluntary service activities or contributions include professional and community work hours, materials, and design contributions, local business donations, military participation, and other in-kind endowments. Involvement by a private contractor serves as a basis for consideration in the awarding of contracts for repair and maintenance projects in schools.

This bill also establishes a public school facilities and property management program, also to be administered by the Chief Procurement Officer, to develop and maintain data and other information on the physical, structural, property, and equipment repair and maintenance needs of all public schools statewide. This program is intended to better measure the usable life of school facilities and equipment and to prioritize school repair and maintenance projects accordingly.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the intent of this measure from the Superintendent of Education.

Your Committee agrees with the intent of this bill, and finds that the bill provides an additional resource to perform portions of the estimated $600,000,000 backlog of repair and maintenance work at public schools.

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. 1242 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.