STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2626

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2603

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2603 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR EARLY LEARNING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to make appropriations to the Executive Office on Early Learning and Early Learning Advisory Board for staffing and travel.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Early Learning Advisory Board, Executive Office on Early Learning, Hawaii Children's Action Network, and two individuals.

     Your Committee finds that the Executive Office on Early Learning's mission is to coordinate efforts to help ensure a solid foundation for Hawaii's young children, by working with partners, families, and communities and connecting policies, programs, and funding related to health, safety, early childhood education, and school readiness and success.  Your Committee further finds that the Executive Office on Early Learning needs additional staff and resources to adequately fulfill its mission.  Accordingly, your Committee finds that this measure will support the Executive Office on Early Learning for the hiring of staff and travel expenses so that it may fulfill its statutory responsibilities.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adopting the amendments proposed by the Executive Office on Early Learning, specifically:

     (1)  Clarifying that the appropriation of $28,800 is solely for travel for the Early Learning Advisory Board; and

     (2)  Changing the appropriation sum of $59,736 to $57,168 and the corresponding position from a data processing systems analyst VI to a research statistician IV.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2603, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2603, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair