STAND. COM. REP. NO. 503

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 516

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism, to which was referred S.B. No. 516 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the State Board for Career and Technical Education to oversee and review annually statewide data collection processes and reporting requirements related to the student attainment of industry-recognized credentials;

(2) Require certain agencies to collect and report disaggregated data on students' attainment of industry-recognized credentials;

(3) Require certain agencies to pursue data-sharing agreements with credentialing entities; and

(4) Require an annual report to the Governor and Legislature.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, HawaiiKidsCAN, Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education, and four individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and University of Hawai‘i Systems.

Your Committees find in the current job market, nearly sixty-five percent of available positions require postsecondary credentials. Industry-recognized credentials are important because they teach the specific knowledge and skills that are required for an occupation or industry. Full-time employees with industry credentials earn more than their uncredentialed counterparts, and, in some cases, the salaries of credential holders who do not hold college degrees are similar to the salaries of college graduates.

Your Committees also find that the State has critical shortages of qualified and credentialed workers in certain industries. Given the recent downturn in the State's economy and the rise in unemployment, it is especially important for Hawaii to equip its students for the existing job market. To this end, the Promising Credentials project, a collaborative effort aimed at using Hawaii labor market data and local employer insights to identify high-value industry credentials in the State, was launched. The information obtained will enable local career readiness programs to better tailor their offerings to Hawaii's job market and to deliver more effective services to both students and employers. However, there is a need for the data to be disaggregated by credential and to be consistently collected and reported by state agencies. This measure will ensure that student attainment data is collected for industry-recognized credentials.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the data shall include demographic information, which shall include the student's race; provided that native Hawaiian demographic data shall be disaggregated from other Pacific Islanders; and

(2) Clarifying that all data collection and reporting activity shall be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable federal and state laws governing the privacy and confidentiality of the data.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 516, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 516, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair