STAND. COM. REP. NO. 187

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 813

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Education and Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 813 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to, among other things:

     (1)  Make the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children permanent by removing the July 1, 2011, sunset date from Act 152, Session Laws of Hawaii 2009;

     (2)  Delete the definition of "test period" within the Compact;

     (3)  Delete provisions relating to furnishing of unofficial education records and principal's determination of available space; and

     (4)  Clarify military representation on the State Council on Educational Opportunity for Military Children within the Board of Education.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the State of Hawaii Department of Defense; the Department of Education; the Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission; the Department of Defense State Liaison Office; the General Counsel for the Interstate Commission on Educational Opportunity for Military Children; The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; and the Military Officers Association of America, Hawaii Chapter.  Your Committees also received proposed amendments from General Counsel for the Interstate Commission on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.

     Your Committees find that frequent moves and deployment of military families create special challenges for children of military members.  The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children was designed to help overcome educational transition issues of children of military families and to help ease the strain on families due to deployment.  This measure will make the Compact, which was enacted by Act 152, Session Laws of Hawaii 2009, permanent. 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsusbtantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 813, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 813, 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 Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs,

____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair

____________________________ JILL TOKUDA, Chair