STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1222

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 996

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 996, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE STATE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL COMMISSION TO MAINTAIN AND CONTINUE THE CURRENT FEDERALLY FUNDED CHARTER SCHOOL PREKINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to support early learning in Hawaii by appropriating $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2019-2020 to the State Public Charter School Commission to maintain and continue the 18 currently-existing federally-funded charter school prekindergarten classrooms that were provided for by a federal preschool development grant in 2015.

The State Public Charter School Commission, Executive Office on Early Learning, Early Learning Board, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Parents And Children Together, Kamehameha Schools, Hawaii Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Kualapu‘u Public Conversion Charter School, and several concerned individuals supported this measure. A concerned individual opposed the measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the amount of the appropriation to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 996, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 996, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair