Bill Text: HI HB2062 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Bill 2062 (Prior Session Legislation)

HI State Legislature page for HB2062

Introduced

Bill Title: Public Charter Schools; Employment of Attorneys

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-27 - Referred to EDN, JUD, FIN, referral sheet 2 [HB2062 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2016-HB2062-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2062
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF ATTORNEYS BY PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS.

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that, since 1994, Hawaii's public charter schools have provided parents, their children, and communities with innovative and meaningful alternatives to public education. Charter schools currently serve over ten thousand students, representing five per cent of Hawaii's public school children, in thirty-four schools throughout the islands.

Hawaii's charter schools offer parents and children a diverse array of educational approaches including online virtual educational schools; programs that emphasize science and technology; Hawaiian language immersion schools where instruction is delivered in Ōlelo Hawaii; Hawaiian-focused schools with curricula founded on the Hawaiian culture and language; and schools dedicated to the mainstreaming of special need students.

Pursuant to Act 130, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, charter schools are now authorized by the public charter school commission, with continued oversight maintained by the board of education. Act 130 requires each charter school to operate under fixed term, bilateral, renewable contracts with the commission; these contracts are intended to outline the roles, powers, responsibilities, and performance expectations for each party. Current contracts are scheduled to terminate in June 2017, and the charter school commission is now preparing to negotiate with charter school governing boards on the substantive provisions of the next round of charter contracts.

Bilateral contract negotiations, by their nature, often require sophisticated legal counsel for both parties in order to ensure that each side fully understands the legal obligations they are agreeing to undertake. Legal assistance may be particularly important in the charter school contract negotiation process insofar as non-compliance with contract terms may lead to charter revocation or charter non-renewal. This potential result carries serious consequences for charter school parents, students, and staff, as well as serious legal and financial consequences for charter school non-profit arms and funders. However, charter schools have not been provided legal counsel and representation by the department of the attorney general in the current charter contract negotiation process and currently authorized schools are prohibited by statute from retaining their own independent legal counsel. The legislature finds that it is critical that charter schools and their governing boards are allowed meaningful access to legal counsel to provide crucial assistance in the development and negotiation of charter contracts.

The purpose of this Act is to exempt public charter schools and their governing boards from the statutory prohibition on retaining outside counsel and thereby allow them to contract with and retain independent legal counsel in the charter contract negotiation, charter revocation, and charter nonrenewal processes.

SECTION 2. Section 28-8.3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

"(a) No department of the State other than the attorney general may employ or retain any attorney, by contract or otherwise, for the purpose of representing the State or the department in any litigation, rendering legal counsel to the department, or drafting legal documents for the department; provided that the foregoing provision shall not apply to the employment or retention of attorneys:

(1) By the public utilities commission, the labor and industrial relations appeals board, and the Hawaii labor relations board;

(2) By any court or judicial or legislative office of the State; provided that if the attorney general is requested to provide representation to a court or judicial office by the chief justice or the chief justice's designee, or to a legislative office by the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate jointly, and the attorney general declines to provide such representation on the grounds of conflict of interest, the attorney general shall retain an attorney for the court, judicial, or legislative office, subject to approval by the court, judicial, or legislative office;

(3) By the legislative reference bureau;

(4) By any compilation commission that may be constituted from time to time;

(5) By the real estate commission for any action involving the real estate recovery fund;

(6) By the contractors license board for any action involving the contractors recovery fund;

(7) By the office of Hawaiian affairs;

(8) By the department of commerce and consumer affairs for the enforcement of violations of chapters 480 and 485A;

(9) As grand jury counsel;

(10) By the Hawaii health systems corporation, or its regional system boards, or any of their facilities;

(11) By the auditor;

(12) By the office of ombudsman;

(13) By the insurance division;

(14) By the University of Hawaii;

(15) By the Kahoolawe island reserve commission;

(16) By the division of consumer advocacy;

(17) By the office of elections;

(18) By the campaign spending commission;

(19) By the Hawaii tourism authority, as provided in section 201B-2.5;

(20) By the division of financial institutions for any action involving the mortgage loan recovery fund;

(21) By the office of information practices; [or]

(22) By public charter schools as defined in section 302D-1, for any action involving the charter contract negotiation, charter revocation, or charter nonrenewal processes; or

[~~(22)~~] (23) By a department, if the attorney general, for reasons deemed by the attorney general to be good and sufficient, declines to employ or retain an attorney for a department; provided that the governor waives the provision of this section."

SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2016.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Public Charter Schools; Employment of Attorneys

Description:

Allows for an exemption to public charter schools and their governing boards from the statutory prohibition on retaining outside counsel.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.