STAND. COM. REP. NO.  639

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1251

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1251, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve public charter schools' access to facilities by among other things:

     (1)  Allowing the use of vacant department facilities for charter schools or pre-plus programs;

     (2)  Establishing the Charter School Facilities Funding Working Group to prioritize the allocation of general fund appropriations and bond proceeds for public charter schools to expend based on the criteria established by the State Public Charter School Commission;

     (3)  Appropriating funds for the Charter School Facilities Funding Working Group to allocate to charter schools for facilities; and

     (4)  Authorizing the Director of Finance to issue general obligation bonds for the purpose of designing, planning, constructing, repairing, and maintaining public charter school facilities.  

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs; the Hawaii Public Charter Schools Network; Kamehameha Schools; Ho‘okāko‘o Corporation; the Hawaii State Teachers Association; Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement; and a few individuals provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Attorney General; Department of Budget and Finance; the State Public Charter School Commission; and one concerned individual provided comments.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1251, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair