STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1732
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2023
RE: H.R. No. 55
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.R. No. 55 entitled:
"HOUSE RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE A PRIORITY LIST FOR REPAIRING PUBLIC SCHOOL FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
Your committee received testimony in support from The Department of Education.
Your Committee finds that the DOE reports that 80% of fire alarm
systems are working well and 12% are not working at all and are in urgent need
of replacement in order to keep our school community safe. Many systems are old and there are no
replacement parts. Your Committee finds
that new systems that utilize broadband are able to incorporate PA systems,
security systems and other features along with the fire alarm system. If the DOE were able to use emergency
procurement to replace these non-functioning systems at an estimated cost of
$70 million, they estimate they could replace them within a matter of
months. This measure focuses attention
on this important safety issue.
Your Committee also requested of the DOE and received a commitment to provide the following:
A list of the 100 playgrounds the DOE plans to replace,
A list of the 12% of schools that don't have working fire alarms,
A list of schools without a working sprinkler system, and
An estimated budget to replace fire alarms and sprinkler systems that are not working.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 55 and recommends its adoption.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,
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____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair |
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