STAND. COM. REP. NO.  270-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 1787

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1787 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish the Erin's Law Task Force (Task Force) to guide the establishment of a program to educate public school students on sexual abuse prevention through use of age-appropriate curricula.

Specifically, the Task Force shall review current policies, programs, and curricula for educating students in the public school system about sexual abuse prevention and make recommendations for the establishment of the program.

The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, Parents and Children Together, The Sex Abuse Treatment Center, and two individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Education and Executive Office on Early Learning testified in support of the intent of this measure.  The State Public Charter School Commission commented on this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1)  Amending the composition of the Task Force to:

(A)  Include the Superintendent, or the Superintendent's designee, rather than the Deputy Superintendent, or the Deputy Superintendent's designee;

(B)  Add the Director of the Executive Office on Early Learning, or the Director's designee;

(C)  Add an elementary school principal and a secondary school principal, to be designated by the Superintendent; and

(D)  Add a representative from a charter school, to be designated by the Executive Director of the State Charter School Commission;

(2)  Specifying that the respective members of the Senate and House of Representatives, rather than the respective Chairs of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Education, shall serve as the co-chairs of the Task Force;

(3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to facilitate further discussion; and

(4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.  

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1787, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1787, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Legislative Management.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Education,

____________________________ ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair

____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair