STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1184

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1069

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1069, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to add two voting members that represent the Department of Education and Board of Education to the School Facilities Authority Board.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Education and Department of Education.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the School Facilities Authority.

Your Committee finds that the School Facilities Authority is the state agency tasked with the construction of new school buildings and capital improvement projects relating to major renovations at school facilities. Concurrently, the Department of Education is responsible for the operation and routine maintenance of school facilities. While the School Facilities Authority is intended to work collaboratively with the Department of Education, both the Department of Education and Board of Education are not presently represented on the School Facilities Authority Board. As the Department of Education effectuates the policies enacted by the Board of Education, these agencies should be involved in ensuring the construction and major renovations of new and existing school facilities to provide students with a high-quality education and effectively manage school facilities statewide. Therefore, this measure adds critical perspectives to the School Facilities Authority Board to ensure the Department of Education can achieve its statutory mandate while strengthening communication between all agencies involved in the planning, development, and construction of school facilities.

Your Committee notes that S.B. No. 1388, S.D. 2 (Regular Session of 2025), which was previously heard by your Committee, is a substantially similar measure that add two ex officio voting members that represent the Department of Education and the Board of Education to the School Facilities Authority Board. Your Committee concludes that the language in S.B. 1388, S.D. 2, is preferable because it clarifies the ex officio status of the new members to streamline operations and allows for the reimbursement of expenses for non-ex officio members.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its contents and inserting the contents of S.B. 1388, S.D. 2, a substantially similar measure, which adds the Superintendent of Education and Chairperson of the Board of Education as ex officio voting members to the School Facilities Authority Board;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 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 Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1069, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1069, 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