STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2012

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2436

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Education and Housing and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 2436 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate Hawaii hurricane relief funds and emergency and budget reserve funds to restore as many instructional days during the 2009-2010 school year as possible.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one state agency, three private organizations, and one individual.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by one state agency, three private organizations, and twelve individuals.  Comments were submitted by two state agencies and one private organization.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees recognize the concerns expressed by testifiers over the use of emergency and budget reserve funds for the restoration of instructional days.  Your Committees have considered using this measure in combination with other measures being considered by the Legislature to resolve the restoration of instructional days over the remainder of the 2009-2010 school year and the entire 2010-2011 school year, and find that this measure should focus primarily on the restoration of instructional days for the 2010-2011 school year and secondarily on the restoration of remaining instructional days for the 2009-2010 school year.

 

     Your Committees have considered information from the Department of Education regarding the cost per day of operating Hawaii's public schools and find that an appropriation of $75,000,000 in Hawaii hurricane relief funds is appropriate.  Furthermore, your Committees find it appropriate to temporarily remove the language indicating the Governor's recommendation for immediate passage of the measure, with the recommendation that this language be re-inserted prior to final reading, in accordance with section 9 of article VII of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Removing section 1, which indicates the Governor's recommendation for immediate passage of the measure;

 

     (2)  Eliminating the appropriation of and references to emergency and budget reserve funds;

 

     (3)  Specifying $75,000,000 as the amount of Hawaii hurricane relief funds to be appropriated;

 

     (4)  Directing the appropriation to restore as many days as possible during the 2010-2011 school year, with any remaining funds to be used to restore as many days as possible during the 2009-2010 school year; and

 

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of style and clarity.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Housing and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2436, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2436, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Housing and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

 

 

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair