STAND. COM. REP. NO. 21-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1846
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health, to
which was referred H.B. No. 1846 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE GOOD
     BEGINNINGS ALLIANCE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to maintain the role of the Good
Beginnings Alliance (GBA) as the critical link for early
childhood systems development by appropriating $150,000 to GBA to
continue coordination and implementation of its initiatives.

     GBA, the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of
Hawaii, the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, the
Hawaii Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and an
individual testified in support of this measure.  The Departments
of Human Services and Education testified in support of the
intent of this measure.

     Your Committees find that in 1998, H.C.R. No. 120, H.D. 1,
S.D. 1, established the Joint Legislative Committee on Early
Childhood Education and Care (Joint Legislative Committee) to
encourage the development and implementation of policies that
integrate early childhood education, care, protection, and health
services.  The Joint Legislative Committee found that GBA is a
critical link for early childhood education and care efforts, as
GBA is the focal point for policy development, disbursement of
public funds, and implementation of early childhood community
plans.  As such, the Joint Legislative Committee recommended,

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 21-00
                                 Page 2

 
among other things, to appropriate funds to implement GBA's
initiatives.

     Your Committees are in full support of appropriating funds
to GBA, thereby allowing GBA to continue its efforts to create a
structure that cuts across existing social service systems to
coordinate early childhood services for families with young
children.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health that are
attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1846 and recommend that it pass
Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Human Services
                                   and Housing and Health,

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair       DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair