STAND. COM. REP. NO.  38

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 388

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 388 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to promote school readiness by:

(1)  Re-establishing eligibility to the Preschool Open Doors Program to indicate that the program shall serve three-year-old children, in addition to four-year-old children;

(2)  Requiring the Department of Human Services (DHS) to report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2018 on the number of program applicants, applicants on the waitlist, geographic distribution of services, participating providers, and capacity and funding issues; and

(3)  Appropriating funds for subsidies for the program.

The Hawaii Children's Action Network, Kamehameha Schools, Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children, Hawaii's Early Childhood Action Strategy, Waianae Coast Early Childhood Services, The Parent Child Development Center, and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  DHS commented on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Amending the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2075, to facilitate continued discussion; and

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

     Should this measure be considered by the Committee on Finance, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider the following appropriation amounts:

(1)  $12,000,000 for Preschool Open Doors Program subsidies to serve another 1,855 children and to increase the administrative oversight needed for the program; and

(2)  $411,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2017-2019 for administrative costs to implement the program at the level of additional funding and expend the full amount in the appropriate fiscal year.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 388, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 388, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

DEE MORIKAWA, Chair