STAND. COM. REP. NO. 582

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 79

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. 79 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDIA LITERACY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow school complex areas to incorporate media literacy into standards-based curriculum.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i State Youth Commission, Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus, Computer & Communications Industry Association, and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that disinformation, misinformation, digital discrimination, and online hate speech are pervasive threats to modern society. Additionally, disinformation and online hate speech have been linked to outbursts of violence in the real world. This measure advances informed digital citizenship in Hawaii's public education system by empowering school complex areas to incorporate media literacy into standards-based curriculum as appropriate, including content that prevents the negative impacts of misinformation, disinformation, digital discrimination, and online hate speech.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Repealing language that requires standards-based curriculum to be implemented in all appropriate classrooms in the school or complex;

(2) Repealing language that requires school complexes to provide professional development;

(3) Repealing language that requires school complexes that develop a standards-based curriculum to use standards-based formative assessment tools to monitor student progress, not less than on a quarterly basis throughout the school year;

(4) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000; and

(5) 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. 79, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 79, 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