STAND. COM. REP. NO. 529-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 2507

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health & Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2507, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Make housekeeping amendments to the statute that places the responsibility for preschool and pre-kindergarten with the Executive Office on Early Learning and the Early Learning Board; and

(2) Allow the Director of the Executive Office on Early Learning to authorize preschool personnel access to a student's immunization registry information.

Hawaii Children's Action Network and a concerned individual testified in support of this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting language explicitly including special education and Title I funded programs at the pre-kindergarten level in the list of programs of education and public instruction required to be administered by the Superintendent of Education. The amendment ensures that the Department of Education (DOE) may continue to use special education State and federal funds for special education preschool classrooms, and that the DOE may use Title 1 funds for preschool classrooms.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2507, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2507, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health & Human Services,

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair