CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 194

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2007

 

RE:    S.B. No. 885

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 3

       C.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam and Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 885, S.D. 2, H.D. 3, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

 

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

 

     The purpose of this bill is to enhance career and technical education in Hawaii's schools, thereby preparing our students for further education and employment, by:

 

     (1)  Broadening the Department of Education's (DOE) Agriculture Education Program to include instruction in healthy eating habits and educational opportunities in the fields of farming, diversified agriculture, landscaping, aquaculture, culinary arts, and related industries such as market development and science and technology;

 

     (2)  Requiring DOE to report to the 2008 and 2009 Legislatures on its efforts to implement this program; and

 

     (3)  Appropriating funds for these purposes.

 

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by, among other things:

 

     (1)  Clarifying the purpose language of the bill;

 

     (2)  Statutorily establishing a Career and Technical Education Program within DOE;

 

     (3)  Clarifying the provisions of the Agriculture Education Program;

 

     (4)  Requiring the Agriculture Education Program to coordinate with culinary arts programs;

 

     (5)  Changing the amount of the appropriation for the Agriculture Education Program to $350,000;

 

     (6)  Establishing and appropriating funds for the Hawaii Excellence Through Science and Technology Academy Pilot Program to be administered by Kauai Community College, in partnership with DOE, at two public schools;

 

     (7)  Establishing the Fostering Inspiration and Relevance Through Science and Technology (FIRST) Pre-Academy Program which shall be administered by the University of Hawaii (UH) College of Engineering;

 

     (8)  Establishing the Robotics and Problem-Based, Applied Learning Program which shall be administered by the UH College of Engineering;

 

     (9)  Establishing the Research Experiences for Teachers Program (RET) which shall be administered by the UH College of Engineering;

 

     (10) Appropriating funds for the FIRST Pre-Academy Program, including funds for the Robotics and Problem-Based, Applied Learning Program and RET;

 

     (11) Establishing and appropriating funds for the Business/Education Internship and Mentorship Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;

 

     (12) Establishing and appropriating funds for a professional development program, within the UH College of Education, to provide practicing elementary, middle, and high school science and mathematics teachers with opportunities to increase their knowledge and understanding of recent developments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics;

 

     (13) Appropriating funds for the Transition To Teaching Program to provide stipends to attract science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates to the UH post baccalaureate certificate in secondary education program;

 

     (14) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2007; and

 

     (15) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 885, S.D. 2, H.D. 3, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 885, S.D. 2, H.D. 3, C.D. 1.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

 

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

 

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

 

____________________________

ROY TAKUMI, Co-Chair

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Co-Chair

 

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Co-Chair

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Co-Chair

 

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair

____________________________

TOM BROWER, Co-Chair