STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1086

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1660

S.D. 2

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 Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1660, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to decrease the backlog of repair, maintenance, and construction of educational facilities by transferring responsibility for the repair, maintenance, and construction of educational facilities to the Department of Education (DOE).

Specifically, this bill:

(1) Establishes the Education Design and Construction Project Assessment Fund (Assessment Fund) to defray the costs of repair, maintenance, and construction of these facilities;

(2) Moves the authority to expend funds from the State Educational Facilities Improvement Special Fund from the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) to DOE;

(3) Moves the state educational facilities repair and maintenance account from Program ID 100 (School Based Budgeting) to Program ID 400 (School Support), to simplify the administration of funds relating to repair and maintenance;

(4) Makes DOE responsible for school repair and maintenance and capital improvement programs; and

(5) Makes DOE responsible for the six-year program and financial plan for school repair and maintenance, and for prioritization of repair and maintenance, instead of DAGS.

DOE and the Hawaii State Teachers Association testified in support of this bill. The Department of Budget and Finance opposed this measure.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Clarifying that the Superintendent of Education is to assess construction projects based on the Superintendent's evaluation of the costs of services, instead of a logarithmic curve developed by DOE, for capital improvements, repairs, and maintenance, and repairs and alterations projects;

(2) Amending Act 164, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, to reflect the amendment to make DOE responsible for the six-year program and financial plan for school repair and maintenance, instead of DAGS;

(3) Appropriating funds to the Assessment Fund;

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2010; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

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 S.B. No. 1660, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1660, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

 

____________________________

ROY TAKUMI, Chair