STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1588-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2975

      S.D. 1

      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. 2975, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EARLY LEARNING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to support early learning in Hawaii by appropriating funds for the Executive Office on Early Learning to enter into contracts with third-party providers for family-child interaction learning programs as part of a mixed-delivery early learning system to ensure the school readiness of Hawaii's children prior to entering kindergarten.

The Executive Office on Early Learning, Department of Human Services, Department of Education, Kamehameha Schools, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, Good Beginnings Alliance, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, PHOCUSED, Hui for Excellence in Education, and a few individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2975, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2975, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair