CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 170

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2017

 

RE:    H.B. No. 498

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

       C.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sirs:

 

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 498, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EARLY LEARNING,"

 

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

 

     The purpose of this measure is to strengthen early learning in Hawaii by:

 

     (1)  Broadening the scope of the early learning program to include early childhood development;

 

     (2)  Adjusting the thresholds at which children are considered "at-risk" or "underserved";

 

     (3)  Expanding the role of the renamed Early Learning Board beyond simply an advisory capacity and amending the powers of certain members of the Board;

 

     (4)  Modifying the membership of the Early Learning Board and making conforming amendments;

 

     (5)  Authorizing the Early Learning Board to appoint and annually evaluate the Director of the Executive Office on Early Learning;

 

     (6)  Requiring the Director of the Executive Office on Early Learning to have taken major coursework in early childhood education and child development and preferably hold an academic degree in the field of early childhood education and child development;

 

     (7)  Requiring the principal and other school personnel to participate in an early learning induction program, prior to opening a public prekindergarten class in a school; and

 

     (8)  Specifying that priority for the Executive Office on Early Learning Public Prekindergarten Program will be extended to four-year-old children who are underserved or at-risk and whose family income is at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

 

     After careful consideration, your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Establishing the Early Learning Board within the Department of Education for administrative purposes only;

 

     (2)  Providing that the use of preschool classrooms for public preschool programs must be done pursuant to rules adopted pursuant to Chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by the Department of Education;

 

     (3)  Specifying that the underserved and at-risk children served by the Preschool Open Doors Program will be determined by rules adopted by the Department of Human Services; and

 

     (4)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2017.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 498, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 498, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

 

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

 

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

 

____________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI

Chair

 

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON

Co-Chair

____________________________

MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO

Co-Chair

 

____________________________

MATTHEW S. LOPRESTI

Co-Chair