HONOLULU, Hawai‘i – An effort to prepare Hawai‘i students for new jobs in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics got a big boost today when the Governor signed HB2607 into law.

The measure, now Act 51, requires the Department of Education (DOE) to develop and implement a statewide computer science curriculum plan for public school students in K-12 that may include design thinking as part of the curricula, and by the 2021-2022 school year, ensures each public high school offers at least one computer science course each year. It also authorizes the DOE to contract for computer science teacher development programs.

To ensure that Hawai‘i public school teachers continue to provide quality education to all students, HB2352 was signed into law and is now Act 50, which increased the membership on the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board to include a member of the Native Hawaiian Education Council and non-voting public university student teacher.

With advances in technology being made every day, HB2651 was signed into law to upgrade and support next-generation wireless broadband infrastructure throughout the state. This measure, now Act 50, among other things, establishes a permitting, application, review, and approval process for wireless providers or communication service providers to install wireless facilities on solely-owned state or county utility poles or install associated utility poles, in the right of way.

Acts 49, 50 and 51 take effect on July 1, 2018.