STAND. COM. REP. NO. 823

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 610

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 610 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CLAIMS AGAINST THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education to settle pending class action lawsuits for retroactive salary adjustments brought against the department by part-time and substitute teachers.

     Your Committee received comments in support of the measure from attorneys for the substitute teachers.  Your Committee received comments in opposition of the measure from the Department of Education and the Attorney General.

     Your Committee finds that this measure is intended to facilitate the resolution of the lawsuits and to restore goodwill and harmony between the teachers and the department.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2057, to facilitate further discussion on the matter.

     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. 610, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 610, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair