STAND. COM. REP. NO.  295

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 501

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 501 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to expand the Department of Education's national certification incentive program to include school psychologists and to authorize financial bonuses for school psychologists in designated schools that improve and no longer carry a certain designation.

The Hawai‘i Association of School Psychologists, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and National Association of School Psychologists supported this measure.  The Department of Education submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended the measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2051, to encourage further discussion.

     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 H.B. No. 501 and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 501, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair