STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1526

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 373

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Lower & Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 373, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide K-12 students with greater career options by:

(1) Establishing a K-12 Curriculum-to-Career-Pipeline Initiative (Initiative) within the Department of Education (DOE) to enable students to pursue training and education throughout their time at a school complex so that upon graduation they are prepared to enter the State's workforce;

(2) Requiring DOE to collaborate and consult with the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), and University of Hawaii to develop the Initiative; and

(3) Appropriating funds for the development and implementation of the Initiative, including funding for a full-time equivalent educational specialist II position within DOE.

The DOE; DBEDT; Hawaii Youth Services Network; The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; HawaiiKidsCAN; and a few individuals testified in support of this measure. An individual testified in opposition to this measure. The Executive Office on Early Learning, DLIR, and University of Hawai‘i Community College provided comments on this measure.

Upon consideration, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Making the number of educational specialist positions unspecified; and

(2) Changing its effective date to January 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on this measure.

Should this measure be heard by the Committee on Finance, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating funds for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) educational specialist II position as part of developing and implementing the Initiative.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Lower & Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 373, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 373, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Lower & Higher Education,

____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair

____________________________ AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair