STAND. COM. REP. NO. 378

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 141
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which
was referred H.B. No. 141 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES
     COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide the Public Utilities
Commission with the additional resources needed to clear its
dockets in a timely manner, by mandating that no more than one-
third of the moneys left in the public utilities commission
special fund shall lapse to the credit of the general fund on
June 30 of each year.

     The Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Commerce
and Consumer Affairs, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii
Electric Light Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, Ltd., GTE,
The Gas Company and Kauai Electric testified in support of the
bill.  Hawaii Transportation Association testified in support of
the bill with a preference to allow the public utilities
commission to retain the entire balance of their special fund.
GST Telecom Hawaii supported the general intent of the bill and
recommended that the excess funds be returned to ratepayers
rather than lapsing into the general fund.  

     Your Committee finds that the PUC's ability to address many
complex issues on a timely basis significantly impacts the
State's infrastructure and utility service to customers.  This

 
 
 
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bill will enable the PUC to discharge its responsibilites more
effectively.

     In regards to whether excess funds should be returned to
ratepayers instead of lapsing into the general fund, your
Committee believes that this is an important fiscal issue that
should be reviewed further by the Finance Committee.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 141 and recommends that it pass Second
Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Consumer
                                   Protection and Commerce,



                                   ______________________________
                                   RON MENOR, Chair