STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2484

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2700

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2700 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent 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 (Registry);

(2) Require the Department of Human Services to submit a report to the Legislature regarding updates to the Registry; and

(3) Appropriate funds to improve the Registry.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Early Learning Board, Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, Early Childhood Action Strategy, People Attentive to Children, American Association of University Women of Hawaii, AF3IRM Hawai‘i, and six individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services, Department of Budget and Finance, and Executive Office on Early Learning.

Your Committee finds that the demand for quality early childcare and education greatly exceeds the supply of qualified childcare workers and educators in the State. However, to enact effective legislation or programs to increase the number of childcare workers and educators available, more data is required to understand the needs of the workforce. While the Department of Human Services, through its partnership with People Attentive to Children, maintains the Registry, not all childcare and educator staff are required to register. This measure requires the staff of all licensed and registered early childhood programs to provide certain information to the Department of Human Services' Registry.

Your Committee acknowledges the testimony of the Department of Health, which requested an effective date of no earlier than December 31, 2022, in order to make administrative preparations. Your Committee also requests that the Department of Health collaborate with the Department of the Attorney General to develop a policy that will ensure the privacy of the submitted data.

Therefore, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Department of Human Services shall not collect first or last names of staff as part of the data collected for the Registry;

(2) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2700, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2700, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair