STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3384

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2507

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2507, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Remove preschools from the Superintendent of Education's scope of authority;

(2) Clarify that the Executive Office on Early Learning Director may authorize preschool personnel access to a student's immunization registry information; and

(3) Require the Board of Education to establish policies over and for the Superintendent to administer programs related to special education and Title I funded programs at the prekindergarten level.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Children's Action Network, Early Learning Board, and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that this measure makes necessary housekeeping amendments to bring state law into conformity with previously enacted legislation and allows the Executive Office on Early Learning Director to ensure compliance with mandatory student immunization requirements. Additionally, this measure helps to clarify the intent of legislation to charge the Executive Office on Early Learning to develop a statewide early learning system with specific responsibilities.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2018.

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. 2507, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2507, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair