STAND. COM. REP. NO. 419-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 2156

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 2156 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to establish a program to allow all children of preschool age to attend preschool by, among other things:

(1) Establishing a School Readiness Council within the Department of Human Services (DHS) to develop the Open Doors Expansion Program for all preschool-aged children in Hawaii;

(2) Requiring the Department of Education (DOE) to design and implement a developmentally appropriate assessment of school readiness within each kindergarten classroom in the State;

(3) Establishing a Hawaii Professional Development Board within DHS to establish a workforce development system designed to support the education, training, and compensation of early education and care workforce; and

(4) Establishing the State Early Childhood Education Special Fund (Special Fund) to fund an early childhood education program, and increasing the income tax and dedicating a portion of individual income tax revenues to the Special Fund.

Waianae Coast Early Childhood Services, Inc., Blueprint for Change, PATCH, the Hawaii Business Roundtable, Good Beginnings Alliance, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children, and many concerned individuals testified in support of this measure. DOE and the Childcare Business Coalition supported the intent of this measure. DHS and the Department of Taxation opposed this measure. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii submitted comments.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

(1) Deleting the Special Fund and all references to income taxes, including increases;

(2) Changing the name of the School Readiness Council to the Governor's School Readiness Commission (Commission) and placing it within the Governor's Office for administrative purposes;

(3) Inserting a blank appropriation for the Commission to carry out its purpose;

(4) Providing that the Commission use a differentiated staffing pattern in its plan;

(5) Providing for a community-based training program to facilitate recruitment and training of entry-level staff;

(6) Adding a representative of the Childcare Business Coalition to the Professional Development Board;

(7) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to promote further discussion; and

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

 

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2156, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2156, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services and Housing,

 

____________________________

MICHAEL PUAMAMO KAHIKINA, Chair