STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1641-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2421

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2421, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Reestablish interagency groups to develop plans for, and address various issues associated with, transferring certain rights, powers, functions, duties, and resources from various state departments to the Department of Education, as provided in Act 51, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, also known as the Reinventing Education Act of 2004;

     (2)  Appropriate funds to the Department of Accounting and General Services for school repair and maintenance for Neighbor Island schools; and

     (3)  Appropriate funds to the Department of Education to convene the interagency working groups and establish two full-time equivalent positions.

The Department of Education provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Accounting and General Services provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the number of positions established for the repair and maintenance of neighbor island schools and the positions in the Department of Education for the working groups to an unspecified amount.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2421, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2421, S.D. 2, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair