STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2320

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2820

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2820 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds to fund Department of Education and University of Hawaii repair and maintenance projects.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the University of Hawaii, and Kanu o ka ‘Äina Learning ‘Ohana.

     Your Committee finds that a significant backlog of repair and maintenance projects exists in our public schools, including the University of Hawaii system.  The Department of Education estimates a current backlog of $420,000,000, and the University of Hawaii system estimates a current backlog of $257,000,000.  Your Committee further finds that in 2001, the Legislature appropriated funds to the Department of Education to reduce the existing repair and maintenance backlog, which at the time was estimated at $640,000,000.  In 2007, the backlog for the Department of Education was estimated to be $341,000,000.  However, the Governor failed to release the funds and, as a result, the backlog has since compounded.  Your Committee believes that additional funding is necessary to help to alleviate the current backlog of repair and maintenance projects within the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii system to attempt to lower them to manageable levels.

     Based on testimony from the University of Hawaii and other updated information, your Committee believes that the measure should be amended to reflect accurate monetary amounts regarding the current backlog and financial needs of the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii system.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Providing clarification on the total amounts of current and anticipated repair and maintenance backlogs for the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii and information on the necessary steps for reducing the backlog levels over the next four to six years;

     (2)  Changing the amount of the general obligation bonds authorized to be issued for Department of Education and University of Hawaii repair and maintenance projects to total $230,000,000 and $60,000,000, respectively; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity 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 S.B. No. 2820, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2820, S.D. 1, 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