HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1306

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to human trafficking.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the United States is not exempt from the crisis of human trafficking that is evident in other countries.  Cases of human trafficking have been reported in all fifty states, Washington D.C., and some of the United States territories.

     The legislature further finds that human trafficking is not limited to adults; trafficking can involve school-age children, particularly those not living with their parents, who are vulnerable to coerced labor exploitation, domestic servitude, or commercial sexual exploitation.

     The purpose of this Act, therefore, is to combat human trafficking by raising consciousness in Hawaii's public schools so that teachers, counselors, other department of education employees, parents, and other students can identify victims and report suspected incidences of human trafficking.

     SECTION 2.  Section 302A-802, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§302A-802  Licensing standards; policies.  (a)  The board shall establish licensing standards that govern teacher licensing in Hawaii.  Licensing standards established by the board shall be adopted as rules under chapter 91 unless otherwise specified in this subpart.

     (b)  The board, beginning January 1, 2014, shall include in its licensing standards a minimum of two hours of instruction designed to combat human trafficking by raising awareness about human trafficking, including how to identify victims of human trafficking and strategies for the prevention of human trafficking of children.  The board may include this instruction as a requirement for the approval of teacher education programs pursuant to section 302A-805.5.

    [(b)] (c)  In the development of its standards, the board shall consider the existing teacher applicant pool that is available in the State and the level of the qualification of these applicants, as well as the nature and availability of existing preservice higher education teacher training programs.

    [(c)] (d)  The board shall adopt policies, exempt from chapters 91 and 92, to initiate the following:

     (1)  Develop criteria allowing more individuals with trade or industry experience to teach in vocational, technical, and career pathway programs, and criteria for the issuance of permits allowing qualified individuals to teach when recommended by the superintendent.  The department shall be responsible for the review and acceptance of the relevant licenses, certificates, or other qualifications related to an individual's vocational, technical, or career pathway education-related experience that the department deems necessary for a permit.  The department shall have the authority to waive the requirement of a bachelor's degree to teach in a vocation, technical, or career pathway education program;

     (2)  Develop a plan to accept teachers from any state as long as they have completed state-approved teacher education programs and pass relevant Hawaii teacher examinations or their equivalent;

     (3)  Clarify the requirements, on a state-by-state basis, for out-of-state licensed teachers to obtain a license in Hawaii;

     (4)  Develop a plan to facilitate licensing for those who intend to teach in Hawaii immersion programs, the island of Niihau, or any other extraordinary situation as defined by the superintendent or the superintendent's designee;

     (5)  Pursue full teacher license reciprocity with all other states; and

     (6)  Issue a license to a teacher with a valid out-of-state license who has passed similar, though not identical, tests in basic skills, pedagogy, and subject matter to those required for licensure in the State; provided that upon the effective date of the adoption of administrative rules addressing the recognition of out-of-state teacher licenses, those administrative rules shall supersede the requirements of this paragraph."

     SECTION 3.  Section 302A-805, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§302A-805  Teachers; license required; renewals.  [Beginning July 1, 2002, all] (a)  All new licenses shall be issued by the board.  No person shall serve as a half-time or full-time teacher in a public school without first having obtained a license from the board under this subpart.  All licenses issued by the board shall be valid only for the fields specified on the licenses and shall be renewable every five years for a standard license and every ten years for an advanced license if the individual continues to:

     (1)  Satisfy the board's licensing standards and submits verification, in a form specified by the board, that the individual has completed activities specified by the board in fulfillment of each of the teacher performance standards established by the board;

     (2)  Show evidence of successful teaching in the previous five years through verification by a supervisor, in a form specified by the board;

     (3)  Meet the professional fitness requirements established by the board;

     (4)  Satisfy the board's requirements for renewal of licenses; and

     (5)  Pay all applicable license fees in a timely manner.

As an additional condition precedent to the renewal of a license under this section, beginning January 1, 2014, the individual shall have completed an additional two hours of instruction designed to combat human trafficking, pursuant to the licensing requirement in section 302A-802.

     (b)  The board shall randomly audit a licensee's compliance with [paragraph (1)] subsection (a)(1) and may establish rules, pursuant to chapter 91, for the random audits.

     [Teachers whose licenses expire on June 30, 2002, or June 30, 2003, shall be granted an automatic extension of two years.]

     (c)  No person shall be issued a license or teach on an emergency basis in the public schools without having first paid the fees established by the board in accordance with chapter 91.

     (d)  The failure to timely renew a license, pay all fees in a timely manner, or comply with any other requirement provided by law or administrative rule shall result in the automatic forfeiture of the license.  A person with a forfeited license shall not teach at a public school until that person's license is restored.  Restoration of a license shall require compliance with the renewal requirements provided by law or administrative rule and payment of all applicable renewal and late fees.  Upon restoration of a person's license, the person may teach at a public school."

     SECTION 4.  (a)  The department of education, in collaboration with the department of human services, shall provide training for all of its employees on human trafficking, including strategies for the prevention of human trafficking of children.

     (b)  The department of human services, in collaboration with experts in the field of human trafficking, shall provide to the department of education:

     (1)  Resource information on human trafficking, including strategies for the prevention of human trafficking of children, to be distributed to school principals, teachers, and counselors; and

     (2)  Materials for distribution that describe state and national resources to which students, parents, counselors, and school personnel can refer for information on human trafficking, including strategies that will assist in the prevention of child human trafficking.

     SECTION 5.  (a)  The department of education, in collaboration with the department of human services and experts in the field of human trafficking, shall develop, as part of the department of education's health curriculum, content on human trafficking.  Such content shall include methods used to lure children into trafficking, identification of trafficking victims, the treatment of victims of human trafficking, by traffickers, strategies that assist in the prevention of child human trafficking, and resource information on human trafficking.

     (b)  The curriculum required by subsection (a) shall be included in the department of education's health education curriculum no later than the 2013-2014 school year.

     SECTION 6.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 7.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Human Trafficking; Teachers; Education

 

Description:

Requires the completion of two hours of training on human trafficking in order to obtain or renew a teaching license.  Requires the Department of Education to provide training on human trafficking for employees.  Requires human trafficking to be included in the Department of Education's health curriculum.

 

 

 

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