STAND. COM. REP. NO. 166

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1164

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Education and Housing and Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1164 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INTERSTATE COMPACT ON EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR MILITARY CHILDREN,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to enact the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children to remove barriers to educational attainment faced by children of military families due to frequent moves and deployment of parents.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by five federal agencies, two state agencies, two private organizations, and nine individuals.  Comments were submitted by two state agencies.  Copies of written testimony are available for review on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committees find that the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children provides standards addressing issues such as enrollment, placement, and graduation of children whose parents are active duty service members or recent veterans of the military.  Rather than suffering frustrations and delays, this Compact would allow military children to integrate quickly into and transition out of Hawaii's classrooms, and greatly improve their quality of life and access to education.

Your Committees further find that the Department of Education already has some transition and integration measures in place for military children in Hawaii.  Through the Department's initiatives with the Joint Venture Education Forum, military children have received some of the help they need.  Adoption of the Compact will ensure that these initiatives continue and are expanded.

Your Committees understand that the Joint Venture Education Forum will pay for the Compact's membership fees, but that it is not necessary to include this provision in this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding a representative of the United States Pacific Command to the State Council on Educational Opportunity for Military Children; and

     (2)  Deleting section 2, which specifies that the Joint Venture Education Forum shall pay the membership fees for the State's participation.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Housing and Public Safety and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1164, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1164, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Housing and Public Safety and Military Affairs,

____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair

____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair