Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 486, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish safe, structured learning environments and programs for children and youth during nonschool-hours by funding nonschool-hour programs.

Your Committee finds that, as a result of households where both parents or a single parent works, many children are left on their own before, during, and after school. Although Hawaii has the A+ program for after-school care and activities for public school students in kindergarten through grade six, older children do not have access to these programs. When older children are unsupervised during nonschool-hours, statistics show that rates of juvenile crime, drug use, and experimentation with tobacco, alcohol, and sex increase. Your Committee believes that the availability of added programs during nonschool-hours will ensure that children and youth of Hawaii have a safe, structured place to go to engage in educational, cultural, and recreational programs that promote positive social behavior and will help children avoid engaging in risky behavior.

Your Committee has amended this measure changing the appropriations to unspecified amounts to facilitate further discussion on this matter and by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for consistency and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 486, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 486, S.D. 2.