STAND. COM. REP. NO. 809

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 1047

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. 1047 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to change the Department of Education's mandated quarterly report on autism spectrum disorder to an annual report.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Disability Rights Center. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Together For Our Keiki.

Your Committee finds that pursuant to Act 205, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018, the Department of Education is required to create a quarterly report about students with autism spectrum disorder, as well as related staffing requirements and Medicaid reimbursements. Your Committee further finds that because there are generally few actual changes made between each quarterly report, the quarterly reporting requirement is burdensome for the Department of Education. Your Committee believes that changing the reporting frequency will reduce the additional workload on the Department of Education while still requiring accurate data to be reported.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the mandated report on autism spectrum disorder to a semiannual report, rather than an annual report;

(2) Changing its effective date to June 30, 3000; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes 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. 1047, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1047, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair