SB885 HD2

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that economic growth that benefits all Hawaii residents depends on enhancing the State's human resources.

Providing students with the specific skills needed for job entry and broad, transferable skills that help students to obtain employment in other fields is an integral part of developing these human resources.

Career technical education that includes:

(1) Pathway programs of study such as graphic design, computer networking, and management information systems;

(2) Academics for various focuses of study, including the performing arts; health and human services; science, technology, engineering, and math; and construction academies; and

(3) School activities such as project EAST (environmental and spatial technology) and robotics,

are important in assisting Hawaii's students in gaining the necessary skills required to compete in the global economy.

The legislature further finds that with the decline of the sugar and pineapple industries in Hawaii, agricultural lands are evolving into small diversified agricultural farms. Further, with the demand for landscaping by many public and private businesses, the landscaping industry is purportedly as large as the diversified agriculture industry in Hawaii. The legislature further finds that the need for agricultural workers, including landscaping and other agriculture industry-related workers, runs the gamut in terms of skill level. There is a critical need for government support to establish an educational infrastructure that prepares students for work in the agriculture and agriculture-related industries. Appropriate programs would assist in preparing students, who are otherwise unlikely to pursue higher education, for jobs that are in demand.

The purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Support and enhance the career and technical education efforts of both the department of education and University of Hawaii system, as well as other public and private business efforts, to prepare Hawaii's students for further education and employment; and

(2) Broaden the agriculture education program of the department of education to offer educational opportunities in the fields of farming, diversified agriculture, culinary arts, landscaping, and related industries such as market development and science and technology.

SECTION 2. Section 302A-431.7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§302A-431.7[~~] Vocational agriculture~~] Agriculture education program. (a) The department shall establish and administer a [~~vocational~~] comprehensive agriculture education program. The agriculture education program shall include adequate staffing of individuals trained or experienced in the field of [~~vocational~~] agriculture to coordinate the program and to provide assistance to school [~~districts~~] complexes for the coordination of the activities of related student [~~agricultural~~] organizations and associations.

(b) The [~~vocational~~] agriculture education program shall be administered by a director who shall:

(1) Assess the agricultural needs of the State and devise methods of meeting those needs with the [~~vocational~~] agriculture education program;

(2) Assist school districts in establishing [~~vocational~~] agriculture programs;

(3) Review school district applications for approval of [~~vocational~~] agriculture programs;

(4) Evaluate existing programs[;] and design complementary programs;

(5) Plan research and studies for the improvement of curriculum materials for specialty areas of [~~vocational~~] agriculture[;], including aquaculture and incumbent worker training;

(6) Ensure that the standards and criteria developed under this section satisfy the mandates of federally- assisted [~~vocational~~] career and technical education;

(7) Develop in-service programs for teachers and administrators of [~~vocational~~] agriculture;

(8) Review applications for [~~vocational~~] agriculture teacher certification;

(9) Assist in teacher recruitment and placement in [~~vocational~~] agriculture programs;

(10) Serve as a liaison with the Future Farmers of America, representatives of business, industry, appropriate public agencies, and institutions of higher education to facilitate dissemination of information;

(11) Promote improvement of [~~vocational~~] agriculture programs;

(12) Assist in the development of adult [~~and~~], continuing education, and college-level education programs in [~~vocational~~] agriculture; and

[~~(13)~~ Establish an advisory task force of agriculturists, who represent the diverse areas of the agricultural industry in the State, that shall make annual recommendations on the development of curriculum, staffing, and strategies to establish a source of trained and qualified individuals in agriculture and strategies for developing the state program in vocational agriculture education, including youth leadership throughout the public schools.]

(13) Assist in the administration of the agricultural and culinary education program established in subsection (c).

(c) The department shall establish and administer an agricultural and culinary education program that integrates culinary arts with the school lunch program and the agriculture education program to teach students healthy eating habits and encourage culinary arts, farming, diversified agriculture, and related industries such as market development and science and technology, as career options. The department of agriculture shall assist the department with the implementation of this program.

[~~(c)~~] (d) The department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to effectuate this section.

(e) For purposes of this section, "agriculture" or "agricultural" includes the fields of farming, diversified agriculture, landscaping, aquaculture, culinary arts, and related industries such as market development and science and technology."

SECTION 3. The department of education shall consult with the department of agriculture, the University of Hawaii's college of tropical agriculture and human resources, and college of education in the development and implementation of the agriculture education program established under this Act.

SECTION 4. The department of education shall submit a report to the legislature regarding:

(1) Its activities toward implementation of the agriculture education program;

(2) Its development and implementation of the agricultural and culinary education program; and

(3) Any requests for funding to further implement the agriculture education program and the agricultural and culinary education program,

no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular sessions of 2008 and 2009. The first report shall include a description of department activities between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, toward implementing Act 233, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, which established a vocational agriculture education program.

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, to support and maintain a comprehensive agriculture education program in the public schools as provided in section 2 of this Act.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of section 2 of this Act.

SECTION 6. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the establishment and administration of the agricultural and culinary education program as provided in this Act.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of establishing and administering the agricultural and culinary education program pursuant to section 2 of this Act.

SECTION 7. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that sections 5 and 6 shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	885
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 2