STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3609

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 140

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 140 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF MENTAL HEALTH–RELATED ABSENCES ON STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND WELL-BEING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the Department of Education conduct a study on the impact of mental health-related absences on student attendance and well-being.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one individual.

Prior to the hearing on this measure, your Committee posted and made available for public review a proposed S.D. 1, which amends this measure by deleting its contents and inserting language that urges the Department of Education and University of Hawaii at Manoa to adopt energy savings performance contracting as a primary strategy to address deferred maintenance and infrastructure modernization and improve energy efficiency statewide.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the proposed S.D. 1 from the Department of Education.

Your Committee received comments on the proposed S.D. 1 from the Hawaii State Energy Office.

Your Committee finds that despite substantial requests for major repair and maintenance funding in recent years, traditional capital improvement and repair approaches have proven insufficient, inefficient, and costly to taxpayers. Under the energy savings performance contracting model, project costs are funded through guaranteed energy savings, thereby eliminating the need for significant legislative appropriations to implement energy efficiency infrastructure improvements while ensuring fiscal accountability.

The Department of Education's estimated $2.4 billion deferred maintenance backlog underscores the urgent need for scalable and sustainable solutions. Your Committee notes the Department of Education's previous invitation for proposals for an energy savings performance contracting project in 2024 and its cancellation due to an expired vendor list contract, of which a new contract took effect in January, 2025. Your Committee therefore again urges the Department of Education to adopt a more proactive approach to quickly address its deferred maintenance backlog and modernize facilities to help take advantage of energy savings.

Your Committee has amended this measure by adopting the proposed S.D. 1 and further amending this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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 S.C.R. No. 140, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 140, S.D. 1.

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

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair