STAND. COM. REP. NO. 232

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 504

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 504 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Human Services to develop a two-year Child Care Worker Subsidy Pilot Program to retain the existing early child care workforce in licensed child care facilities for preschool children aged two through five; and

(2) Appropriate funds for the pilot program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Executive Office on Early Learning. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Human Services, Hawai‘i Children's Action Network Speaks!, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that a strong child care and early education workforce is necessary to support the State's children, working families, and communities. Your Committee further finds that compensation for child care workers factors into retention rates. A 2022 study completed by the University of Hawai‘i Early Childhood Educator Excellence and Equity Project showed that early childhood care and education professionals earned between $13 and $17 an hour on average, far below the living wage in the State. This measure is intended to assist with the retention of qualified child care and early education professionals by establishing a pilot program to subsidize the wages of workers in licensed child care facilities for preschool children aged two through five.

Your Committee notes the concerns raised by the Department of the Attorney General that the disbursement any of public monies to private entities must be done in compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language establishing standards for the distribution of the funds appropriated in this measure as subsidies under the Preschool Child Care Worker Subsidy Pilot Program;

(2) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) 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 Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 504, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 504, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair