STAND. COM. REP. NO. 764-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1837

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1837, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require:

(A) The Department of Education to grant public access to emergency action plans that do not pose a security risk to students, staff, or guests of school campuses;

(B) Each Department of Education school to have a comprehensive school evacuation communication plan for use during emergencies; and

(C) The Department of Education to collaborate with the Department of Transportation to assess all Department of Education school campuses to determine if there are sufficient emergency evacuation routes for each campus; and

(2) Appropriate funds for the creation of emergency action plans and establishment and implementation of a comprehensive evacuation communication plan for each Department of Education school.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities; one member of the Maui County Council; Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Hawai‘i State Teachers Association; and Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education; Department of the Attorney General; and Office of Language Access.

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 H.B. No. 1837, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair