STAND. COM. REP. NO. 332

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1698

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1698 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education to provide two portable rooms for the Manoa Public Library to accommodate the community and students for the library's two-year closure.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the Hawaii State Public Library System, Friends of Manoa Library, and five individuals.

     Your Committee finds that Manoa Public Library provides much needed resources to the community and its temporary closure may cause hardship to the neighborhood, including the students of Noelani Elementary School.  The funds appropriated in this measure will compensate for the two-year closure by providing portable buildings to be used by the Manoa Public Library to continue its services.

     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 S.B. No. 1698 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair