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. 2206, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow the Department of Education to use and hire attorneys other than the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Education has had occasion in the past to request advice from the Attorney General. Often, these requests require a response as soon as possible to deal with academic, student, or other issues. When these responses are not made quickly, the public perception of the Department of Education is tarnished and its policies are viewed with skepticism. In other instances, the opinion of the Department of Education is different from that of the Executive branch, from which the Attorney General operates, and this causes conflict. This is the reason for the eighteen other agencies listed in the statute herein affected, to have the authority to hire their own attorneys. Your Committee finds that the Department of Education is entitled and has reason to do the same.

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. 2206, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.