STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1873

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: S.B. No. 242

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 242, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve digital literacy throughout Hawaii by:

(1) Establishing the Computer Science Special Fund to provide grants to eligible entities to support computer science education;

(2) Establishing a timeline for public elementary, middle, and intermediate schools to offer computer science courses or computer science content; and

(3) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, requiring each public charter school that serves elementary, middle, intermediate, or high school students to offer computer science courses or content at a certain frequency.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, HawaiiKidsCAN, Code.org, Microsoft, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Oceanit, Hawai‘i Society for Technology in Education, and ten individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Board of Education.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a five-year sunset on the Computer Science Special Fund established pursuant to this measure and specifying that any unencumbered remaining balances lapse to the credit of the general fund; and

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

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 S.B. No. 242, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 242, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair