School AC Bill Now Law
It calls for $100 million to pay for聽equipment and installation costs for air conditioning, heat-abatement measures and energy-efficiency measures.
Heeding to longstanding complaints about sweltering classrooms, the Legislature and governor have finally done聽something about it.
Gov. David Ige on Thursday legislation that聽spends $100 million to fund equipment and installation costs for air conditioning in public schools statewide, as well as heat-abatement and energy-efficiency measures.
鈥淐ooling our schools has been my highest priority and we are thankful that our legislators got behind this initiative to make funds quickly available so the Department of Education can continue its work,” Ige said in a statement.
He added, “Our students and teachers deserve safe and comfortable learning spaces so students can thrive. We will cool classrooms in energy-efficient ways, starting with the classrooms that need it most.”
Sen. President Ron Kouchi, Speaker Joe Souki, Ways and Means Chair Jill Tokuda and House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke were more than happy to make that happen, albeit paying for it with general funds rather than聽using money from a green energy marketing fund.
The administration says that documents are “being processed and recorded to make monies available as early as next week to start cooling our schools.”
