STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2056

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2606

       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 Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2606 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to ensure that students in public schools will have access to digital format versions of printed curricular materials.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from TechNet and six individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

     Your Committee finds that digital information technologies become more and more integrated into public school classrooms as time goes on.  Hawaii's students are growing up in a world where such technologies are increasingly prevalent, and many students have learning styles which are accustomed to taking advantage of those technologies when they are available.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that digital versions are required only when such digital versions are available; and

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

     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. 2606, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2606, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair