STAND. COM. REP. NO.2370

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2424

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2424 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish procedures to allow the Department of Education (DOE) to award competitive grants to fund the further development, improvement and enlargement of exemplary vocational-technical education programs. The measure also appropriates $1,000,000 for FY 2002-2003 to fund the grant program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the DOE.

Your Committee finds that in today's rapidly changing economic climate it is more imperative than ever to provide innovative job training programs to the youth of Hawaii so that they can find fulfilling careers that will foster their economic self-sufficiency and improve the social welfare as a whole. As the DOE was reluctant to embrace this initiative, your Committee recommends that the appropriation associated with this measure be transferred to the community colleges of the University of Hawaii to enhance their vocational-technical training programs and those operated by them in conjunction with public high schools.

Your Committee has amended the measure by transferring the appropriation and related administrative functions to the University of Hawaii, removing all references to the incentive and innovation grant award panel which is under the DOE, and removing the requirement that rules be adopted to give priority to geographic exception.

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 S.B. No. 2424, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair