STAND. COM. REP. NO.  188-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 1973

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1973 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE IMMERSION PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Direct the Department of Education to allocate a sum equal to ten percent of all public land lease revenues realized by the State in the immediately preceding fiscal year for expenditure in the form of grants to fund Hawaiian language immersion programs in the State; and

     (2)  Establish a Hawaiian Language Immersion Program Grant Commission within the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to oversee the allocation of funds received from the Department of Education.

The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Kuakini Hawaiian Civic Club of Kona, Hawaii Bilingual/Hawaii Olelo Palua, and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  Three concerned individuals supported this measure with amendments.  The Department of Education opposed this measure.  The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Attorney General, and a concerned individual offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying the role of the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program Grant Commission in the disbursement of funds for Hawaiian language immersion programs;

     (2)  Replacing the Department of Education with the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program Grant Commission as the entity authorized to award grants for Hawaiian language immersion programs;

     (3)  Authorizing the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program Grant Commission to hire staff, including an executive director;

     (4)  Clarifying that rather than a percentage, an unspecified amount of all departments and agencies' portion of receipts from the public trust lands will fund the grants;

     (5)  Relying on the reference to section 26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), to prescribe the duration of the terms of the members of the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program Grant Commission;

     (6)  Replacing the reference to section 10-13.5, HRS, with a reference to Act 178, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006; and

     (7)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1973, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1973, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Education.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

FAYE HANOHANO, Chair