STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1731

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 423

S.D. 1

H.D. 2

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 423, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE EARLY LEARNING BOARD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Add the Director of the Hawaii Head Start State Collaboration Office as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Early Learning Board;

(2) Require the Early Learning Board to invite the President of the Head Start Association of Hawaii, or the President's designee, to serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Board; and

(3) Require the Early Learning Board to invite a representative of local providers of early childhood education and development services to serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member if no voting member fulfills that role.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Early Learning Board; Executive Office on Early Learning; and Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!.

Your Committee finds that the federal Head Start Act mandates each state to establish a State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care, which in Hawaii is the Early Learning Board. To comply with federal requirements, the Early Learning Board must include representation from Head Start programs operating in Hawaii. This measure updates state law by adding the Head Start State Collaboration Office Director as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Early Learning Board and inviting the President of the Head Start Association of Hawaii, or the President's designee, to serve on the Board in a nonvoting capacity.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have required the Early Learning Board to invite a representative of local providers of early childhood education and development services to serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member if no voting member fulfills that role;

(2) Requiring one voting member of the Early Learning Board to have experience as a local provider of early childhood education and development services; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 423, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 423, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair