STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1537

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 376

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Lower & Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 376 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve students' experience in the public education system by allowing them to enroll in career and technical education programs outside the Department of Education (DOE) service area in which they reside.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association supported this measure. DOE submitted comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring a public school that has a career and technical education program to review all geographic exceptions applications and make a determination whether to allow students to enroll in career and technical education programs in schools outside the DOE service area in which the student resides;

(2) Allowing, rather than requiring, DOE to adopt rules to implement the proposed system of review and determination;

(3) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Lower & Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 376, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 376, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Lower & Higher Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair