STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1049-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2975

      S.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 Education, 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 Education; Department of Human Services; Early Learning Advisory Board; Hawaii Association of Independent Schools; Partners in Development Foundation; Hui for Excellence in Education; Good Beginnings Alliance; Kamehameha Schools; The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; PHOCUSED: Protecting Hawaii's Ohana, Children, Under Served, Elderly and Disabled; INPEACE: Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture; and numerous concerned individuals supported the bill.  The Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children supported the intent of the measure.  The Hawaii State Teachers Association provided comments.

     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. 2975, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair