THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	220
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONSIDER CONTINUING PROJECT GRADUATION TRAINING THROUGH DRIVER EDUCATION UNDERWRITERS' FEES AS PART OF TRAFFIC SAFETY EDUCATION.

     WHEREAS, teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group; and

     WHEREAS, vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of death among American teens, accounting for more than one-third of all deaths of sixteen to eighteen-year-olds; and

     WHEREAS, night driving is a high-risk activity for beginning drivers, with nighttime fatal crash rates for sixteen-year olds accounting for double the number that occur during the day; and

     WHEREAS, prom and graduation nights have been found to be the most dangerous nights for teenagers due to underage drinking combined with driving, lack of seat belt use, and driving with passengers; and

     WHEREAS, Project Prom/Graduation all-night chemical-free celebrations are recognized as a community prevention program to reduce injuries and fatalities on the highways during the prom and graduation season; and

     WHEREAS, Project Graduation in Hawaii has been a successful traffic safety education activity conducted statewide to promote safe, alcohol and drug-free high school graduation celebrations for graduating seniors; and

     WHEREAS, Project Graduation, along with athletics and band, has been one of the three most successful activities at public high schools in getting parent participation to support students with over two thousand parent volunteers annually to plan and conduct Project Graduation events for their graduates; and

     WHEREAS, there have not been any traffic fatalities or related injuries on commencement nights in the Hawaii community since the inception of Project Graduation in June 1990; and

     WHEREAS, the current federal grant supporting Project Graduation training is ending in September 2008; and

     WHEREAS, pursuant to sections 302A-417 and 431:10C-115, Hawaii Revised Statutes, funds allocated to the Department of Education via the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs from the Special Driver Education Fund underwriters fee may be used for the Department of Education's traffic safety education program; and

     WHEREAS, Project Graduation has grown since its inception as a federally funded project from one public high school participating in 1990 to over fifty public and private high schools participating in 2007 involving five thousand graduates; and

     WHEREAS, Project Graduation has benefited countless graduating seniors in providing a fun-filled, safe, and memorable alcohol- and drug-free graduation celebration for them; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to consider funding Project Graduation training activities through the Department's driver education funds, as allowed by statute; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report to the Legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009, on how the Department of Education is continuing Project Graduation training after the cessation of its federal grant; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this

Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

DOE; Project Graduation