2009 Resolutions Introduced by Senator Sakamoto

Establishing a Hawaii Geographic Exception Task Force (SCR83)

Requesting that a Hawaii Geographic Exception (GE) Task Force be established to identify and evaluate the process by which public school GEs are approved and to make recommendations to clarify and improve the application, notification, adjudication, and appeal process for general education placements and special education programmatic placements.

Urging the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to Convene a Task Force to Review State and County Affordable Housing Approval Requirements and Procedures (SCR87)

Requesting that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation convene a task force to review state and county affordable housing approval requirements and procedures; identify core, standardized affordable housing approval procedures that each county can adopt; consult with other state agencies, private developers and nonprofit housing organizations regarding the recommendations for a standardized, affordable housing approval procedure for counties; and report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed county or state legislation, to the 2010 Legislature.

Urging the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to Establish a Transit Oriented Development Task Force (SCR88)

Requesting the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation establish a Transit Oriented Development Task Force to facilitate mixed-income and affordable housing in transit oriented developments by better coordinating transportation and housing planning and programs; serve in an advisory capacity to the Legislature, the legislative body of each county, and appropriate state and county agencies responsible for carrying out a continuing, comprehensive, transit oriented development planning process; and to:

• Identify regulatory barriers to housing near transit stations;
• Identify ways to improve coordination of housing and transportation planning including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Consolidated Plan and Public Housing Agency Plan, and U.S. Department of Transportation's transportation planning requirements;
• Identify strategies for addressing area housing and transportation needs including the designation of transit oriented development zones;
• Identify ways to improve the leveraging of housing and transportation funds;
• Identify financial incentives for funding mixed-income and affordable housing near transit, as well as land use and other incentives to expand housing choices in proximity of new and existing transit stations;
• Identify tax incentives for the development or rehabilitation of community health care facilities within mixed-use transit oriented development projects;
• Monitor outcomes and continually update goals and objectives;
• Undertake any other functions as may be appropriate in an advisory capacity to ensure a joint planning process between a county and the State and advice appropriate legislative bodies and agencies, as necessary; and

Report its findings to the 2010, 2011, and 2012 Legislatures.

Urging the Department of Education to Establish Reasonable Standards and Performance Assessment and Provide Professional Development for Persons Employed in the Hawaii Public Schools as Educational Interpreters, Educators and Paraprofessionals Who Work with Students in Need of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (SCR148)

Urging the Department of Education (DOE) in coordination with the Special Education Advisory Council and the University of Hawaii to establish reasonable standards and performance assessments, and to provide professional development for persons employed in the Hawaii public schools as educational interpreters, educators, and paraprofessionals who work with students in need of augmentative and alternative communication, including hearing students with disabilities who benefit from simultaneous usage of sign language and the spoken word; and requesting the DOE to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation in compliance with the federal reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to the 2010 Legislature.

Requests the Board of Education to Modify Public High School Graduation Requirements by Requiring 50 Hours of Community Service for All Students as Part of the Department of Education's Civic Responsibility Requirement (SCR149, SD1)

Requesting the Board of Education to modify public high school graduation requirements by requiring 50 hours of community service from all students as part of the Department of Education's (DOE) Civic Responsibility requirement; if appropriate, modifying this requirement based on the student's Individualized Education Program or Personalized Educational Plan; and requesting the DOE to report its findings and recommendations to the 2010 Legislature.

Urging the Governor, Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives to Establish a Special Education Caucus in Recognition of the State's Responsibilities toward Hawaii's Special Education Students and their Families (SCR151)

Urging the Governor, Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives to establish a Special Education Caucus in recognition of the State's responsibilities toward Hawaii's special education students and their families; that the Caucus include members of the State Senate and House of Representatives, and a community resource group of special education advocates and providers to assist the Special Education Caucus in identifying priority areas, including an annual Special Education Caucus package of measures to address the State's response to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its federal regulations.

Requesting the Department of Accounting and General Services, the Department of Education, and the University of Hawaii System to Report on the Components of Their Respective Procurement Plans and Specifications that Use Nationally Updated Information, the Components Based on "Past Practice" and "Local Knowledge," and When Such Information Was Last Updated (SCR164)

Requesting the Department of Accounting and General Services, the Department of Education, and the University of Hawaii System to report on the components of their respective procurement plans and specifications that use nationally updated information, the components based on "past practice" and "local knowledge," and when such information was last updated; and report their findings and recommendations to the 2010 Legislature.