CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 97

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2017

RE:    S.B. No. 1286

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1286, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRIVATE TRADE, VOCATIONAL, AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Clarify the scope of the private trade, vocational, and technical school licensure program within the Department of Education;

     (2)  Authorize the Department of Education to ensure that the private trade, vocational, and technical schools are complying with either federal requirements or accreditation requirements;

     (3)  Establish a licensing fee to ensure the sustainability of the licensure program;

     (4)  Establish a license renewal process and fee;

     (5)  Establish the private trade, vocational, and technical school licensure special fund; and

     (6)  Appropriate monies for one full-time equivalent position within the Department of Education to administer the licensing program.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that private trade, vocational, and technical schools provide specialized training for a number of professions in the State, including those in massage therapy, health care, tax preparation, and maritime activities.  These schools are prohibited from operating in Hawaii without being licensed, and licensure has been the responsibility of the Department of Education since 1939.  Your Committee on Conference further finds that many private trade, vocational, and technical schools rely on state licensure to fulfill accreditation requirements, facilitate collaboration and participation with entities and students from outside the State, and receive access to funding from a diverse variety of sources.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Department of Education to license schools as necessary to allow those schools to qualify for federal, state, or private funding or to allow graduates to qualify for professional licensing;

     (2)  Specifying that license and license renewal fees for applications submitted after December 31, 2017, are $2,000;

     (3)  Authorizing an appropriation amount of $60,000 from the general fund of the State for deposit into the private trade, vocational, and technical school licensure special fund;

     (4)  Authorizing an appropriation amount of $100,000 out of the private trade, vocational, and technical school licensure special fund;

     (5)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2017; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1286, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1286, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON Co-Chair	____________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI Chair
____________________________ ROY M. TAKUMI Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Co-Chair
____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN Co-Chair	____________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE Co-Chair