STAND. COM. REP. NO. 786

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1084

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1084 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE X, SECTION 1, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION TO PERMIT THE APPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PRIVATE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to enable the State to provide a statewide early learning system for children.

     Specifically, this measure proposes a constitutional amendment to authorize the appropriation of public funds for the support or benefit of private early childhood education programs, as provided by law.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of the Governor, Board of Education, Department of Human Services, Department of Public Safety, University of Hawaii System, Special Education Advisory Council, Castle and Cooke Hawaii, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education, Hawaii Business Roundtable, IMUAlliance, Kamehameha Schools, and numerous concerned individuals.

     Your Committee received written comments on this measure from Hawaii Pacific Health.

     Your Committee finds that high-quality early learning programs have immediate and long-term benefits not only for the children participating in such programs, but also for their communities.  The constitutional amendment proposed by this measure is intended to assist the State in meeting its goal of providing a statewide early learning system, specifically by allowing the State to contract with private preschools and other early learning programs to provide services as part of a statewide system.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Amending the constitutional amendment question to be printed on the ballot to more accurately reflect the language of the proposed constitutional amendment;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion on this measure; and

     (3)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for 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. 1084, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1084, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair