Report Title:

Education; Felix Service Vouchers

 

Description:

Establishes a service voucher program allowing parents of public school children to obtain special education services from private organizations. (SD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1678

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

S.D. 1


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to education.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the department of education currently places special education students in institutions outside of the public schools, such as Variety, Horizon, Assets, and Loveland. In this sense, the department is already operating effective programs that, for all intents and purposes, are like voucher programs. When the Individualized Education Program process and the department concur that outside placement is appropriate, a service voucher could be an effective means of standardizing the out-of-school placement process and preserving parental choice. When the parent feels their child needs more services than the department feels are necessary, a service voucher may be an effective means of providing much-needed special education services, reducing the adversarial nature of the process, and avoiding the legal costs of disagreement that often escalate into the tens of thousands of dollars. The department should be allowed to continue working on these and related proposals, and to develop the appropriate policies needed to operate these programs.

The purpose of this Act is to provide further assistance by defraying the costs of educational expenses for the parents and guardians of children who are not enrolled in the Hawaii public school system.

SECTION 2. Chapter 302, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302- Service vouchers. The department shall establish a service voucher system by rule pursuant to chapter 91 wherein families of children found to be in the Felix class pursuant to section 302-    may exchange vouchers issued by the department to obtain a set dollar amount of services. The services for which the voucher may be used shall be limited to those specifically related to the conditions for which the student has been classified in the Felix class."

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act, upon approval, shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2001.