STAND. COM. REP. NO.  898

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 459

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 459, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to further clarify Hawaii's sexuality health education law by, among other things:

 

     (1)  Specifying additional elements to be included in sexuality health education in public schools;

 

     (2)  Requiring that beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, each public elementary, middle, intermediate, high, and alternative school operated by the Department of Education must provide sexuality health education;

 

     (3)  Expressly granting teachers the discretion to answer in good faith any question initiated by a student that is reasonably related to and consistent with the material of a sexuality health education course;

 

     (4)  Requiring the Department of Education to develop, maintain, and make available to the public a current list of sexuality health education curricula; and

 

     (5)  Requiring the Department of Education, beginning on January 1, 2016, to provide to the Legislature an annual report on the participation rates and outcomes of the Department of Education's policy to allow parents to opt-in to participate in sexuality health education programs during the previous school year.

 

     The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, American Association of University Women – Hawaii, Hawaii State Democratic Women's Caucus, Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Hawaii Women Lawyers, Hawaii Women's Coalition, IMUAlliance, and numerous concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Ohana Project of the Hawaii Family Coalition and numerous concerned individuals testified in opposition.  The Department of Education and numerous concerned individuals submitted comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by including monogamy as an additional element of sexuality health education in public schools.

 

     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 H.B. No. 459, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 459, H.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair