STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 18-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2182

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2182 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide Hawaii's students with the best environment for learning by ensuring the availability of funds for and effective management of school facilities.

Specifically, this bill:

(1) Appropriates funds for Department of Education (DOE) and University of Hawaii (UH) operations and facility repair and maintenance;

(2) Authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds for DOE capital improvement projects and the repair and maintenance of UH facilities;

(3) Authorizes DOE to use certificates of participation to finance the construction of new schools; and

(4) Establishes and appropriates funds for the New School Construction Special Fund from which lease back payments can be made.

DOE, UH System, and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill. The Department of Budget and Finance opposed this measure.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2182 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Higher Education,

____________________________ TOMMY WATERS, Chair		____________________________ ROY TAKUMI, Chair