STAND. COM. REP. NO. 699

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1390

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 S.B. No. 1390 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMPUTER SCIENCE LEGISLATIVE REPORT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to change the due date of the Department of Education's computer science legislative report from June 30 to twenty days prior to the start of the legislative regular session.

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

Your Committee finds that computer science education has become a critical cornerstone in preparing students for the twenty-first century. Presently, the Department of Education has a statutory mandate to report on computer science education by June 30 each year. However, the existing deadline may not reflect the most complete and up-to-date information due to when the Department is required to submit the report each year. Your Committee further finds that October 31 would be an ideal submission date, as the Department of Education can utilize the data from the previous school year in an effective manner. Therefore, this measure continues the Department of Education's mission to promote equitable computer science education opportunities for all grade levels statewide.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Department of Education shall submit its annual report to the Legislature on computer science on October 31, 2025, and each October 31 thereafter, rather than twenty days prior to the start of each regular session;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; 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 S.B. No. 1390, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1390, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair