Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1557 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide a procurement preference for private contractors that participate in voluntary service activities or provide contributions to restore, build, maintain, or upgrade public school property and facilities.

The Department of Education submitted testimony supporting this measure.

Your Committees find that there is currently a $600,000,000 backlog of repair and maintenance work that is required for Hawaii's public schools. Much of this work requires immediate attention, and your Committees find that the longer this repair and maintenance is postponed, the greater the amount of work needed in the future will be.

Rather than use state funds for all of the necessary projects, your Committees find that the State should encourage private individuals and contractors to donate their time and skill whenever possible. Your Committees believe that the procurement preference established in this measure will encourage private contractors to provide volunteer service activities at our schools.

Your Committees made several minor, technical amendments to this measure, and amended section two to require that the rules to be adopted by the chief procurement officer pursuant to this measure follow the procedures of chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1557, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1557, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.