STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2099

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2520

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 S.B. No. 2520 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education for behavior analysis services performed by licensed behavior analysts for public school students.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Hawai‘i Association for Behavior Analysis, IMUAlliance, Autism Behavior Consulting Group Hawaii, and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawai‘i Psychological Association and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that behavior analysis is the scientific study of principles of learning and behavior. The practice of behavior analysis includes the empirical identification of functional relations between behavior and environmental factors, known as functional assessment and analysis, as well as the use of contextual factors, motivating operations, antecedent stimuli, positive reinforcement, and other consequences to help people develop new behaviors, increase or decrease existing behaviors, and emit behaviors under specific environmental conditions. Because of the overall benefits of behavior analysis, many students enrolled in public schools would benefit from the expansion of behavior analysis services throughout Hawaii's public school system, including but not limited to students with autism disorders.

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. 2520 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair