STAND. COM. REP. NO. 35-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1969

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 Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1969 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Shade and Fruit Tree Program in the Department of Education; and

(2) Appropriate funds for the Shade and Fruit Tree Program and for an arborist position to support the Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Kauai Climate Action Coalition; 350Hawaii.org; Trees for Honolulu's Future; Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that hotter temperatures induced by climate change affect a student's ability to play, gather, and learn outside while attending school. Your Committee further finds that one strategy to reduce the effect of hotter temperatures on students in the State's public schools is to increase the tree canopy on school campuses, which will not only provide shade and heat reduction, but also will absorb storm water, clean the air, beautify campuses, and help reach county and state environmental goals. This measure will help grow native trees that will provide comfortable shade in public school campuses throughout Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Renaming the Shade and Fruit Tree Program as the Shade Tree Program and deleting all references to fruit trees;

(2) Allowing, rather than requiring, native shade trees to be planted or shared amongst all Department of Education schools;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000; and

(4) 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. 1969, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1969, 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