Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1635 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increases the amount of money deposited into the state educational facilities improvement special fund.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education. The Department of Taxation and Department of Budget and Finance submitted testimony in opposition to the measure.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Education's capital improvements backlog totals approximately $3,000,000,000 while the repair and maintenance backlog is estimated at $500,000,000. The state educational facilities improvement special fund is used to plan, design, acquire lands, construct, and maintain public school facilities and provide equipment and technology infrastructure. Unfortunately, the current funding level of the special fund is not sufficient to reduce the backlog of projects. Increasing the amount deposited into the special fund will assist the department in providing safe and healthy educational environments.

A technical, nonsubstantive amendment was made to conform to legislative drafting style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1635, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1635, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.