STAND. COM. REP. NO. 792

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1164

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1164, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to enact the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.

     More specifically, the purpose of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children is to remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents by:

(1)  Facilitating the timely enrollment of children of military families and ensuring that they are not placed at a disadvantage due to difficulty in the transfer of education records from the previous school district or variations in entrance and age requirements;

     (2)  Facilitating the student placement process through which children of military families are not disadvantaged by variations in attendance requirements, scheduling, sequencing, grading, course content, or assessment;

     (3)  Facilitating the qualification and eligibility for enrollment, educational programs, and participation in extracurricular academic, athletic, and social activities;

     (4)  Facilitating the on-time graduation of children of military families;

     (5)  Providing for the adoption and enforcement of administrative rules implementing the provisions of this compact;

     (6)  Providing for the uniform collection and sharing of information between and among member states, schools, and military families under this compact;

     (7)  Promoting coordination between this compact and other compacts affecting military children; and

     (8)  Promoting flexibility and cooperation between the educational system, parents, and the student in order to achieve educational success for the student.

This measure also addresses issues that are specific to Hawaii, including Hawaii's tuberculosis clearance requirement, and allows children of deployed service members to finish the school year at the school where they are currently enrolled while in the custody of a guardian.

     Your Committee received six written comments on this measure.  The written comments may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that children of military families face inordinate stresses due to relocations between states or overseas.  On average, most military children move at least twice during their high school years.  The lack of consistency between states creates difficulty for military families and results in some educational obstacles.  Your Committee further finds that participation in the compact will help minimize the effects of these stresses and ease transition for children of military families.  Your Committee believes that aiding the often stressful school transitions of military children benefits both the military families and the schools that educate these children.

     Your Committee amended this measure by:

(1)  Clarifying that rules adopted under this compact shall have the force and effect of law;

(2)  Adding language to repeal this measure on July 1, 2011, to allow the Legislature to revisit the issue in two years;

(3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2070, to encourage further discussion; and

(4)  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. 1164, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1164, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair