Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Economic Development and Business Concerns, to which was referred H.B. No. 659 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to transfer funds from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) Capital Loan Revolving fund to the Department of Health (DOH) Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Fund and to expand the permissible uses of moneys in the LUST fund.

Testimony in strong support of this bill was received by the DOH, DBEDT, and the Hawaii Automotive Repair & Gasoline Dealers Association (HARGD).

Your Committees find that the DBEDT Capital Loan Revolving Fund was created to provide loans to qualified applicants to comply with 1994 and 1998 EPA underground storage tank (UST) requirements. Since the deadlines have passed and the goals of the fund have been accomplished, there is a balance of over 2 million dollars left in the fund. The transfer of funds from DBEDT to DOH will allow the DOH to continue to fund efforts relating to underground storage tanks.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Stipulating that the transfer of funds from DBEDT's Capital Loan Revolving Fund to the DOH's Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund take effect on July 1, 2001; and

(2) Making technical, non-substantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Economic Development and Business Concerns that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. 659, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 659, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.