STAND. COM. REP. NO. 785

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1258

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1258 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to bolster civic responsibility among Hawaii's elementary and secondary school students by educating them accordingly in our public schools.

Specifically, this bill establishes a grant program in the Department of Education to develop K-12 lesson plans, curriculum, and other educational materials for teaching students civic responsibility. The Board of Education is required to establish a grant award panel with specified membership to review grant proposals and recommend grant awards. The panel is allowed to use up to one per cent of moneys appropriated for grants for the panel's expenses. The Superintendent is required to report annually to the Legislature on the operations of the panel each year before the convening of each Regular Session.

Furthermore, this bill appropriates $100,000 for the civic responsibility education grant program. The bill further appropriates $2,500,000 to buy social studies textbooks to support civic responsibility education. Finally, the bill appropriates $2,500,000 to buy science textbooks and other science learning materials.

Your Committee supports the civic responsibility education of all students in Hawaii's schools. This bill is a major step in that direction. However, your Committee finds that the appropriation to purchase science textbooks, while worthy, is unrelated to the civic responsibility grant program and the other two supporting appropriations.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Dividing the bill into three parts, separating the appropriation for science textbooks into a separate part II;

(2) Changing all appropriated amounts to unspecified amounts for the purpose of stimulating further discussion; and

(3) Making technical amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1258, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1258, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair