STAND. COM. REP. NO. 584

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 741

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 Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 741 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIC EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education for the:

(1) Expansion of civic education in Hawaii's public school system, including professional development and classroom resources related to the Hawaii core standards in social studies; and

(2) Hiring of two full-time equivalent permanent civic education resource teacher positions; provided that one full-time equivalent permanent position is grant funded.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Commission to Promote and Advance Civic Education, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and one individual.

Your Committee finds that civic education prepares students to participate in the public and political lives of their communities and helps them develop critical thinking skills that are vital to the functioning of a democratic nation. Your Committee further finds that in the 2020 general election, forty states had a higher voter turnout than Hawaii. This measure appropriates funds to the Department of Education to increase access to civic education in Hawaii's public school systems to increase voter turnout and citizen engagement over the long term.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring both full-time equivalent permanent civic education resource teacher positions to be funded by general funds;

(2) Changing its effective date to June 30, 3000; 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 Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 741, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 741, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair