STAND. COM. REP. NO. 721

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 688

       S.D. 2

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. 688, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the P-20 Initiative Program.

     Your Committee received comments in support of the measure from the Department of Education and the Hawaii P-20 Initiative.

     Your Committee finds that the Hawaii P-20 Initiative is a consortium of public and private educators, officials from the University of Hawaii and the Department of Education, and community leaders who work together to improve academic achievement in the State.  The mission of the Initiative is to develop and initiate educational plans for the twenty-first century to promote lifelong learning for students from early childhood education to career and workforce preparation.

     Your Committee has amended the measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount to facilitate further discussion on this matter; and

     (2)  Making technical amendments for purposes of clarity 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. 688, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 688, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair