STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2343

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2823

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 Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2823 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a school psychologist national certification incentive program; and

(2) Make an appropriation to fund the incentive program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hui for Excellence in Education, Children's Action Network Speaks!, Hawai‘i Association of School Psychologists, and eighteen individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that mental and behavioral health experts are needed in schools now more than ever. Your Committee further finds that public schools in the State continue to suffer from a chronic shortage of qualified education professionals. Accordingly, your Committee finds that this measure will promote student mental health and well-being and help address the shortage of qualified education professionals by establishing an incentive program to encourage the hiring and retention of credentialed school psychologists.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying the parameters of the incentive program;

(2) Inserting a blank appropriation amount; and

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2823, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2823, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair