STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3301

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1906

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1906, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROMOTE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education to enhance its Panorama platform and Trust Circle mobile application or create a new platform.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, State Council on Mental Health, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and three individuals.

Your Committee finds that ensuring adequate access to mental health support services is critical to the health, well-being, and development of Hawaii's keiki. Presently, the Department of Education utilizes the Trust Circle mobile application and Panorama Education platform to provide students with accessible well-being resources and for teachers to understand the social-emotional competencies in the areas of sense of belonging, social awareness, self-management, and emotional regulation. Both platforms offer teachers and counselors insight into the well-being of their students while identifying additional support for at-risk students. Accordingly, this measure creates greater accessibility for students to receive mental health and well-being support services.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; 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 H.B. No. 1906, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1906, H.D. 1, 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