Bill Text: HI HB385 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended

Hawaii House Bill 385 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Relating To After-school Programs.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-17 - Re-referred to HHS, FIN, referral sheet 2 [HB385 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-HB385-Amended.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	385
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS.

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that, in Hawaii, over fifty-four thousand children are left alone and unsupervised until their parents return home from work each day. Yet, according to the Afterschool Alliance, seventy-five per cent of Hawaii parents agree that after-school programs can reduce the likelihood that youth will engage in risky behavior and ninety-three per cent support public funding of after-school programs. The legislature further finds that while Hawaii continues to be among the states with high participation rates, that rate has been declining from thirty-five per cent in 2004, to twenty-eight per cent in 2009, and twenty-six per cent in 2014. Juvenile violence peaks in the after-school hours on school days and in the evenings on non-school days. Sixty-five per cent of violent crimes committed by juveniles occur on school days, while nearly one-fifth of all juvenile violent crimes occur between the hours of three o'clock and seven o'clock in the evening. During fiscal year 2012-2013, the police made over three thousand arrests of juveniles in Hawaii between the ages of twelve and fourteen.

The legislature additionally finds that after-school programs represent an upfront investment in Hawaii's youth and that higher participation rates in other states may be due to significant state funding dedicated specifically to expanding the availability of after-school programs. According to the superintendent's twenty-fifth annual report published in October 2015, Hawaii's dropout rate has reached nearly fifteen per cent with a graduation rate of only around eighty-two per cent. Nearly half of the high school dropouts reported that they started high school ill-prepared. Research indicates that each disconnected youth costs the taxpayers nearly $14,000 per year, which can continue and even increase in the future as some disenfranchised youth become part of the juvenile justice court systems. The stakes of disengagement are high. Once students are disconnected, recruitment, enrollment, and retention into programs require stronger and more persistent outreach, more intensive services, and more long-term participation.

The legislature also finds that middle school years are a pivotal time for the State's haumana, or students � a time when they can succumb to peer pressure and significantly derail their education and futures. Accordingly, participation in high-quality after-school programs can lead to improved attendance, better behavior, and better academic performance. Keeping the State's youth engaged in positive after-school activities will help to keep them on the path toward graduation and productive futures. Currently, there are approximately twenty-six thousand public middle and intermediate school students in Hawaii. Some schools receive federal or state funding for after-school programming; however, this funding is inconsistent or unreliable.

The legislature further finds that, in March 2013, the administration, through the lieutenant governor, established the R.E.A.C.H. initiative, which stands for "resources for enrichment, athletics, culture, and health," to develop a framework and funding base for after-school programs for public middle and intermediate school students throughout the State. The legislature additionally finds that the establishment of a state-subsidized after-school program for public middle and intermediate school students is important to the future of Hawaii's �opio and the welfare of the State as a whole.

The legislature also finds that since its inception, the R.E.A.C.H. initiative has provided over $2,250,000 in funding for after-school programs including thirty-nine schools throughout all counties in the State. The legislature further finds that this funding has been instrumental during the vulnerable middle school years and has manifested positive impacts on the lives of these students inside and outside of the classroom. The legislature finds, however, that a dedicated program with reliable funding is necessary to provide continued and uninterrupted services in middle and intermediate schools statewide. The legislature finds that the success of the program hinges on the ability to leverage available state, federal, private, and in-kind resources available to schools. Though not intended to entirely fund the program, the ability to assess fees to help subsidize the program and encourage community involvement is an important piece in ensuring the program's future and sustainability.

The legislature additionally finds that the office of youth services, within the department of human services, provides comprehensive front-end services and programs for youth to prevent delinquency and reduce the incidence of recidivism. The office of youth services is dedicated to creating opportunities for youth to develop competencies that foster resiliency and enable them to achieve a successful transition to young adulthood. The legislature determined that the objectives of the R.E.A.C.H. initiative are wholly aligned with those of the office of youth services and, accordingly, provided funding during fiscal years 2014-2015, 2015-2016, and 2016-2017 to the office of youth services for the R.E.A.C.H. initiative.

The purpose of this Act is to provide a standardized framework and funding for after-school programs in public middle and intermediate schools. Specifically, this Act:

(1) Establishes the R.E.A.C.H. program within the office of youth services;

(2) Authorizes the office of youth services to award funding for after-school programs and report to the legislature on program implementation and use of funds; and

(3) Establishes a special fund to receive fees and other moneys to supplement the costs of administering and operating the program.

SECTION 2. Chapter 352D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding three new sections to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§352D-A Resources for enrichment, athletics, culture, and health (R.E.A.C.H.) program; established. There is established the resources for enrichment, athletics, culture, and health (R.E.A.C.H.) program within the office.

§352D-B Resources for enrichment, athletics, culture, and health (R.E.A.C.H.) program; implementation; fees. (a) The office shall provide funding to establish, support, or enhance after-school programs in public schools. The office may enter into contracts with middle schools, individuals, organizations, or other entities to provide after-school programs to public middle schools.

(b) The office shall:

(1) Establish criteria, application, selection, and award processes for funding after-school programs;

(2) Monitor the after-school programs within each school;

(3) Conduct site evaluations for schools with after-school programs funded under the R.E.A.C.H. program;

(4) Ensure each after-school program meets contractual expectations; and

(5) Report annually to the legislature on the implementation of programs and use of funds under the R.E.A.C.H. program, including but not limited to information on grants awarded to provide services to public middle schools, current and future plans to assess or collect fees, and efforts to obtain non-state funding for the financial sustainability of the R.E.A.C.H. program.

(c) Pursuant to chapter 91, the office may establish program requirements and participation fees or other charges to be assessed to each student for the cost of administering and operating the R.E.A.C.H. program. The revenues from the collected fees shall be deposited into the R.E.A.C.H. program special fund established in section 352D-C to be used to supplement the costs of administering and operating the program.

(d) The R.E.A.C.H. program shall be run by a program specialist who shall be appointed by the governor without regard to section 26-34 and shall be exempt from chapter 76.

§352D-C Resources for enrichment, athletics, culture, and health (R.E.A.C.H.) program; special fund. (a) There is established the R.E.A.C.H. program special fund to be administered by the office.

(b) The R.E.A.C.H. program special fund shall consist of:

(1) Fees collected by the office for administering and operating the R.E.A.C.H. program, and the provision of program services;

(2) Legislative appropriations;

(3) All interest earned on the deposit or investment of moneys in the R.E.A.C.H. program special fund; and

(4) Any other moneys made available to the R.E.A.C.H. program special fund from any other sources.

(c) All moneys in the R.E.A.C.H. program special fund shall be used to supplement the costs of administering and operating the R.E.A.C.H. program. The office may also use the moneys to:

(1) Hire personnel to implement, operate, and oversee after-school programs;

(2) Promote after-school program activities;

(3) Conduct after-school education and demonstration projects;

(4) Contract for services for after-school programs; and

(5) Fund associated expenses for after-school programs."

SECTION 3. Section 352D-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new definitions to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

""Public middle schools" means all academic- and noncollege-type middle and intermediate schools established and maintained by the department of education, including charter schools governed by chapter 302D.

"R.E.A.C.H. program" means the resources for enrichment, athletics, culture, and health program established pursuant to section 352D‑A."

SECTION 4. In codifying the new sections added by section 2 of this Act, the revisor of statutes shall substitute appropriate section numbers for the letters used in designating the new sections in this Act.

SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2075.

Report Title:

After-School Programs; Resources for Enrichment, Athletics, Culture, and Health Program; Office of Youth Services; Special Fund

Description:

Establishes the R.E.A.C.H (Resources for Enrichment, Athletics, Culture, and Health) Program to provide a standardized framework and funding for after-school programs in public middle and intermediate schools. Establishes a special fund to receive fees and other moneys to supplement the costs of administering and operating the R.E.A.C.H. Program. (HB385 HD1)

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