STAND. COM. REP. NO. 502

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 922

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Education and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 922 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Specify additional elements of Hawaii's existing sexuality health education law and its implementation;

 

     (2)  Require the Department of Education to provide certain types of information about sexuality health education to the public and parents; and

 

     (3)  Allows parents to opt out of their children receiving sexuality health education at school.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, Hawaii Women's Coalition, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, Hawaii Right to Life, a member of the Board of Education, and sixteen individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Education, the Department of Health, Hawaii Family Forum, Pro-Family Hawaii, and one individual.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from two individuals.

 

     Your Committees find that sexuality health education promotes healthy attitudes on growth and development, body image, gender and sexuality, dating, relationships, and family.  This measure will bolster the effectiveness of sexuality health education in the public schools and give students the information and tools they need to make good decisions to keep themselves safe and healthy.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Specifying that intermediate and middle schools shall also provide sexuality health education to students;

 

     (2)  Removing the Department of Health's involvement in the sexuality health education related duties proposed under this measure and making the Department of Education solely responsible for these duties; and

 

     (3)  Specifying that the provision of sexuality health education under this measure shall be implemented beginning with the 2013-2014 school year to allow the Department of Education to phase in implementation over a two-year period.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 922, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 922, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Health,

 

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair

 

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair