STAND. COM. REP. NO. 321

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1287

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1287 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ETHICS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to exempt extracurricular service of employees from the State Ethics Code if certain conditions are met.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association and IMUAlliance.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii State Ethics Commission and League of Women Voters of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that extracurricular educational activities, including school-sponsored trips, are extremely valuable to the State's students.  Your Committee further finds that teachers in Department of Education schools are not compensated or reimbursed for extracurricular activities.  Your Committee additionally finds that many teachers in Hawaii are unable to donate time and resources to extracurricular activities in light of nationally low teacher compensation in the State.  Your Committee also finds that outside sponsorship and other resources are available that could enable teachers to make extracurricular activities more available to students, but that these resources are unavailable due to potential conflicts with the State Ethics Code.  This measure will exempt extracurricular services of all state employees from the State Ethics Code under certain conditions.

     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. 1287 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair