STAND. COM. REP. NO. 80

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 509

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 509 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 criteria for industry certification awards to public high schools and appropriates funds to the Department of Education to incentivize public high schools to encourage students to obtain industry-recognized certifications; and

(2) Require the Department of Education to submit an annual report containing specified information about the progress of the incentivization effort.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Your Committee finds that the State has critical shortages of qualified local workers in sectors such as health, education, air travel, and technology. Due to the needs of the State's economy, Hawaii's public high schools should strategically prepare students for the workforce by encouraging industry certification in "high value" occupations, including jobs that have a high demand for competent and skilled employees, high potential for growth, and high wages. This measure will incentivize public high schools to encourage students to obtain industry certification in high value occupations.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education, rather than the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, shall provide an annual list of occupations that meet the high value employment criteria to the Department of Education upon its request; and

(2) 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 Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 509, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 509, 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,

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair