STAND. COM. REP. NO. 245-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2577

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. 2577 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize the Department of Health to require the Department of Education to report on COVID-19 potential outbreaks or other public health emergencies and other related information in a manner most appropriate to public health and safety, as determined by the Department of Health; and

(2) Repeal the requirement that the report be published on a weekly basis on the Department of Education's website.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education and Department of Health. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the operations of schools and required the establishment of additional processes and procedures to ensure the safety of children and prevent them from getting or spreading COVID-19. Your Committee further finds that pursuant to Act 4, Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, the Department of Education is required to publish a report weekly on schools that have a student, staff member, or affiliated individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Your Committee notes that the Department of Education no longer routinely conducts COVID-19 testing on school campuses and instead uses data reported to schools by parents and legal guardians of students, making the weekly COVID-19 report an administrative burden with minimal impact. Your Committee believes that giving the Department of Health discretion in requiring the Department of Education to report on COVID-19 potential outbreaks and other public health emergencies will ensure that Hawaii can respond to health emergencies in schools while reducing the Department of Education's administrative workload.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 3000.

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. 2577, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2577, 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