STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2585

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2591

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2591, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII TEACHER STANDARDS BOARD,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to implement the recommendations made to the Legislature by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the University of Hawaii, and the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board concerning the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

 

More specifically, this measure addresses the role and duties of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board by:

 

     (1)  Requiring the board to include expenditure information in the board's annual report;

 

     (2)  Authorizing the board to delegate to its executive director or other designee certain powers and duties it deems reasonable and proper;

 

     (3)  Adding additional licensure renewal requirements and requiring verification that a license holder meets the renewal requirements;

 

     (4)  Requiring the board to review the implementation of revised license fee collections and determine whether fees should be raised;

 

     (5)  Requiring the board to develop a comprehensive plan for transferring nonessential functions and duties to other agencies;

 

     (6)  Requiring the board to review its teacher license renewal process; and

 

     (7)  Requiring the board and Department of Education to clarify their respective powers, duties, and responsibilities, and the relationship between the two agencies.

 

The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board submitted comments in support of this measure.  Your Committee received comments in opposition to this measure from the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and Ford Island Housing.  The written comments may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

Your Committee finds that part II of Act 2, Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2009, required the Legislative Reference Bureau, the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education, and the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to recommend to the Legislature improvements with respect to certain aspects of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.  Your Committee also finds that this measure is a result of those recommendations.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Changing the effective date to January 1, 2070, to facilitate further discussion; and

 

(2)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2591, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2591, S.D. 2.


 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair