STAND. COM. REP. NO.176

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 992

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. 992 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education for playground equipment to be installed at all public elementary schools.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

Your Committee finds that an important aspect of early childhood education includes the development of physical and social skills through playtime with peers in a playground setting. Your Committee further finds that current national safety standards require that these playgrounds include equipment that will not expose children to serious injury and thus most of the existing playground equipment must be replaced in order to meet these standards. Due to ongoing budget restrictions, the Department is requesting additional funds above and beyond its $1.5 million 2003-2005 biennium budget request.

Your Committee has amended this measure to clarify that these funds shall be used to ensure that all public elementary schools have at least one set of new playground equipment installed in the 2003-2004 fiscal year.

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. 992, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 992, 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