STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2804

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 536
                                        H.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred H.B. No. 536, H.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this Act is to extend the repeal date of the
Good Beginnings Alliance to June 30, 2010.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Office of the Governor, Department of Health, Department
of Human Services, Good Beginnings Alliance, Hawaii Association
for the Education of Young Children, Hawaii Chapter American
Academy of Pediatrics, and a private individual.

     This measure also expands the membership of the
interdepartmental council and the representation of the board of
directors of the Good Beginnings Alliance.

     The Good Beginnings Alliance was established by Act 77,
Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, as a temporary program for the State
to contract with a private nonprofit corporation for the purposes
of coordinating policy, disbursing public funds, and implementing
community plans for providing early childhood education and care
services.

     In 1998, the Legislature established the Joint Legislative
Committee on Early Childhood Education and Care (JLC) in H.C.R.
No. 120, to encourage the development and implementation of

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2804
                                   Page 2


policies that integrate early childhood education, care,
protection, and health services.  The JLC recommended, among
other things, that the Good Beginnings Alliance be made a
permanent coordinating structure that cuts across existing social
service systems to coordinate early childhood services for
families with children.

     Your Committee believes that through the good beginnings
alliance, it will be able to continue to monitor the development
of a coordinated system that is dedicated to enhancing and
developing early childhood education and care services.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 536, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health and Human
                                   Services,



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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