STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2370

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2424

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2424 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AIR CONDITIONING IN PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Education and the Department of Accounting and General Services to develop a master strategy for cooling all public school facilities and to address related factors.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Department of Accounting and General Services, Hawaii State Teachers Association, IMUAlliance, Hawaii Bicycling League, and two individuals.

     Your Committee clearly stated at the hearing on this measure that while this measure does not currently have an appropriation amount for air conditioning in schools, nothing precludes the Legislature from including an appropriation in the supplemental budget measure, given the appropriation request for $25,000,000.  This would, in fact, be preferable to passage of a $25,000,000 appropriation in this measure, especially given the fact that such an appropriation measure would be constitutionally prohibited from passing Final Reading in the Legislature prior to the transmittal of the supplemental budget to the Governor.

     Your Committee finds that a key factor in influencing a student's ability to learn is the student's learning environment.  Many schools in Hawaii lack air conditioning or proper ventilation, which results in classrooms and facilities that are overheated.  This measure tasks the Department of Education and Department of Accounting and General Services to develop a master strategy for cooling, taking a comprehensive look at a number of factors, including but not limited to the current facility needs, projected long-term repair and maintenance, and applicable electrical and environmental standards to address this issue so that public schools can provide a more comfortable environment that is conducive to student learning.

     Recognizing that renewable energy technologies must be a part of the master strategy and understanding the Legislature's sense of urgency and need for good data going forward, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Department of Education and the Department of Accounting and General Services to consult with the Hawaii State Energy Office of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute of the University of Hawaii in developing the master strategy for cooling all public school facilities;

     (2)  Requiring the departments' joint report to the Legislature to include:

          (A)  A timeline, including dates and prioritization schedules, for the implementation of the master strategy for cooling all public school facilities;

          (B)  Discussion on the capacity, infrastructure, and funding needs of the Department of Education in implementing the master strategy for cooling all public school facilities; and

          (C)  Discussion on how the master strategy for cooling all public school facilities complements and overlaps with the Department of Education's overall facilities master plan and sustainability efforts; and

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

     If this measure is considered for passage by your Committee on Ways and Means, it is your Committee's hope that any request for resources to support the Department of Education in meeting the requirements of this measure will be given favorable consideration.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2424, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2424, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair