Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2068, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate $51,312 for fiscal year 2002-2003 to continue a position in the Department of Accounting and General Services to coordinate public and private efforts to repair and maintain public schools through Hawaii 3R's.

Your Committee finds that Act 309, Session Laws of Hawaii 2001, created an innovative, nonprofit grant program called Hawaii 3R's (Repair, Remodel, Restore our Schools) to help address the $640,000,000 backlog in repair and maintenance projects in Hawaii's public school facilities.

In addition to saving the State $440,000 on $550,000 worth of projects, the newly created Hawaii 3R's program has allowed individual schools to complete repair and maintenance projects that would have normally been displaced by projects with higher state or district priority. In addition, the Hawaii 3R's program has allowed the State to leverage $500,000 in general funds per year in order to obtain private grants and commitments totaling $350,000 and federal funds totaling $500,000. It is expected that the federal Native Hawaiian Education Act will provide the Hawaii 3R's program with another $1,200,000 to $1,500,000. Finally, the Hawaii 3R's program has resulted in a tremendous outpouring of civic pride, volunteerism, and corporate giving, which is especially notable given the condition of the State's economy.

Your Committee has amended this measure by replacing the sum appropriated with an unspecified amount.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2068, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2068, S.D. 2.