STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1364

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1018

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1018, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to improve the efficiency of the administration of private preschools by exempting private preschools and their programs that are part of a licensed elementary school from the licensing requirements imposed by the Department of Human Services (DHS).

The Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) testified in support of this bill. The Hawaii Catholic Conference and Good Beginnings Alliance supported the intent of this measure. DHS and the Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children opposed this bill.

Your Committees have amended this bill by:

(1) Specifying that a private preschool and its programs that are part of an elementary school that has been licensed or accredited, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding between DHS and the organizations recognized and approved by the state to license or accredit these private preschools, are exempt from the licensing requirements imposed by DHS;

(2) Creating a temporary private preschool licensing and accreditation task force to develop licensing and accreditation standards, policies, and procedures, including health and safety standards, for private elementary schools serving children under the age of five; and

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2005, and providing that the exemption from DHS regulation for licensed or accredited private preschools does not take effect unless and until the date that the memorandum of understanding is signed.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1018, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1018, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Human Services,

____________________________ ALEX M. SONSON, Chair		____________________________ ROY TAKUMI, Chair