Bill Text: HI SB1023 | 2024 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Relating To Early Learning.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2023-12-11 - Carried over to 2024 Regular Session. [SB1023 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-SB1023-Amended.html

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THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	1023
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO EARLY LEARNING.

 

 

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

 

PART I

     SECTION 1.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023-2024 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 to be deposited into the preschool open doors special fund.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the preschool open doors special fund the sum of $          or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023-2024 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the preschool grant program; the hiring of three temporary information technology positions without regard to chapter 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to support modifications to the preschool open doors program; and the data governance issues necessitated by Act 46, Session Laws of Hawaii 2020, and Act 210, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021.  Funds appropriated pursuant to this section may also be expended on additional permanent staff, benefit expenses related to the new staff, and costs associated with necessary modifications to the preschool open doors program.  Funds appropriated pursuant to this section may be expended without regard to chapters 103D and 103F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as the case may be.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this Act.

PART II

     SECTION 3.  Section 346-184, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

     "(b)  Accreditation under this section shall be obtained from one or more of the following national early learning accrediting organizations:

     (1)  National Association for the Education of Young Children;

     (2)  National Early Childhood Program Accreditation;

     (3)  National Association for Family Child Care; or

     (4)  An accrediting organization approved by the director[; provided that the accrediting organization is comparable to the organizations specified in paragraphs (1) through (3)]."

PART III

     SECTION 4.  Section 302L-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:

     "(c)  The program shall serve [children in the year prior to the year of kindergarten eligibility,] three- and four‑year‑old children who are in the two years prior to kindergarten entry pursuant to section 302A‑411, with priority extended to underserved or at-risk children, as defined in section 302L-1, and follow the academic year schedule of the department of education and be aligned with the full-day kindergarten classroom schedule of each school.  Enrollment priority shall be given but is not limited to children who attend prekindergarten at schools to which the children will be assigned upon entering kindergarten under section 302A-1143."

     SECTION 5.  Section 346-181, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

     "(b)  Subject to the availability of funds, the program shall serve three- and four-year-old children[,] who are in the two years prior to kindergarten entry pursuant to section 302A‑411, with priority extended in the following order to:

     (1)  Children who are not eligible to attend public school kindergarten in the calendar year in which they turn five years of age because their birth date occurs after the kindergarten eligibility date pursuant to section 302A-411; [and]

     (2)  Underserved or at-risk [children,] four-year-old children who were previously served as a three‑year‑old child, as defined by rules adopted by the department[.];

     (3)  Four-year-old children who were previously served as a three-year-old child;

     (4)  Four-year-old children;

     (5)  Underserved or at-risk three-year-old children, as defined by rules adopted by the department; and

     (6)  Three-year-old children."

     SECTION 6.  Section 346-182, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

     "(a)  There is established within the state treasury the preschool open doors special fund, to be administered by the department's child care assistance program, into which shall be deposited all moneys received by the department's child care assistance program in the form of:

     (1)  Fees;

     (2)  Grants;

     (3)  Donations;

     (4)  Appropriations made by the legislature to the fund;

     (5)  Federal funds;

    [(5)] (6)  Revenues regardless of their source; and

    [(6)] (7)  Earnings on moneys in the fund.

Moneys in the fund shall be used for the procurement of health and human services under the preschool open doors program.  Expenditures from the fund may be made by the department without allotment but shall not be made for capital improvement projects."

     SECTION 7.  Act 210, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, is amended by amending section 14 to read as follows:

     "SECTION 14.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that:

     (1)  Section 5 shall be repealed on July 1, 2022, and section [302L-7,] 302L-7(o) and (p), Hawaii Revised Statutes, shall be reenacted in the form in which it read on the day prior to the effective date of this Act;

    [(2)  Section 6 shall be repealed on July 1, 2024, and section 346‑181, Hawaii Revised Statutes, shall be reenacted in the form in which it read on the day prior to the effective date of this Act;] and

    [(3)] (2)  Section 11 shall take effect on July 1, 2021."

     SECTION 8.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 9.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.

 

 

Report Title:

Preschool Open Doors; Executive Office on Early Learning; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates moneys for the Preschool Open Doors Program and Executive Office on Early Learning to expand access to preschool and to implement program changes required by previous acts.  Expands the types of entities from which a Preschool Open Doors service provider may obtain accreditation.  Authorizes the preschool open doors special fund to accept federal funds.  Appropriates moneys.  Effective 7/1/2050.  (SD1)

 

 

 

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