STAND. COM. REP. NO.  37

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

 

RE:   H.B. No. 25

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Education and Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 25 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHER LICENSING,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to create a larger pool of highly qualified teachers to serve in Hawaii's schools by requiring the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) to issue Hawaii licenses to teachers with licenses issued by any state with licensing standards equivalent to or higher than Hawaii's.

 

     The Department of Education supported this bill with amendments.  The University of Hawaii, HTSB, and Hawaii State Teachers Association opposed this measure.

 

     Your Committees have amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Upholding the requirement that HTSB pursue full teacher        license reciprocity with other states, but extending it       to all 50 states, rather than requiring HTSB to issue            licenses to teachers with licenses issued by any state      with licensing standards equivalent to or higher than               Hawaii's; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Labor & Public Employment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 25, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 25, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Labor & Public Employment,

 

 

____________________________

ALEX M. SONSON, Chair

 

____________________________

ROY TAKUMI, Chair