CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 212-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2700

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2700, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE EARLY CHILDHOOD REGISTRY,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the staff of licensed and registered early childhood programs to annually provide specific information to the Department of Human Services' Early Childhood Workforce Registry;

(2) Require a report to the legislature; and

(3) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee on Conference finds that the demand for quality early child care and education greatly exceeds the supply of qualified child care workers and educators in the State.  However, to enact effective legislation or programs to increase the number of child care workers and educators available, more data is required to understand the needs of the workforce. This measure ensures policymakers have adequate and timely date on the State's early child care and education workforce by requiring the Department of Human Services to collect data from all early child care workers and educators in the State.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Authorizing, rather than requiring, the Department of Human Services to require that all staff used to meet the staff-child ratio in licensed and registered child care programs annually update their information in the Early Childhood Registry;

(2) Authorizing, rather than requiring, data collected from the Early Childhood Registry to include certain social determinants;

(3) Exempting procurements made pursuant to the measure from the requirements of chapters 103D and 103F, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(4) Removing the appropriation section;

(5) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2022; and

(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2700, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2700, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE Co-Chair	____________________________ BENNETTE MISALUCHA Chair
____________________________ ADRIAN K. TAM Co-Chair	____________________________ MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO Co-Chair