STAND. COM. REP. NO.  353

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1504

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1504 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BLIND PERSONS' AND LITERACY RIGHTS AND EDUCATION ACT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the quality of education for blind persons by:

     (1)  Assuring that the individualized education program of              each blind or visually impaired child includes                 provisions for instruction in braille and the use of               braille appropriate to the child's current and future              literacy needs;

     (2)  Establishing standards of proficiency and instruction;

     (3)  Requiring publishers of educational textbooks sold to              the State to provide electronic versions in braille; and

     (4)  Requiring teachers certified in the education of blind         and visually impaired children to be competent in             reading and writing braille, as part of the teachers'             certification and renewal process.

     The Disability and Communication Access Board testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Education did not support this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board,            rather than DOE, is responsible for issuing licenses to       teach the visually impaired; and

     (2)  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 H.B. No. 1504, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1504, 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