STAND. COM. REP. NO.315

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1691

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1691 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an unspecified appropriation of funds to educate public school students about the history of World War II (WWII), including events such as the internment of Japanese Americans and other related civil rights issues.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, various officers of the Japanese American Citizens League Honolulu Chapter, and three private citizens. The Department of Education submitted testimony in support of the intent of this measure.

Your Committee finds that today's students are three or more generations removed from the atrocities of WWII, yet many of its lessons are particularly relevant today as we face various global crises. Your Committee further finds it disturbing that many of Hawaii's students are not aware of the very personal impacts that WWII had on local families, especially Japanese Americans families who were removed from Hawaii and interned on the mainland. While our country has made progress in recognizing the injustices of the internment camps, our students need to be educated about the dynamics of both government and individual actions that could still cause harm within our multi-cultural and multi-ethnic community. To this end, your Committee agrees that because public education is rooted in developing an educated citizenry, our students must be taught to be vigilant in protecting the basic civil rights that are at the core of a healthy democracy.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting a full-time equivalent resource teacher position to coordinate the development and implementation of curriculum and instructional aids related to these issues and by inserting $115,000 as the amount of the appropriation.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1691, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1691, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair