Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 281, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, entitled:

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to enable the Department of Education to set priorities for school repair and maintenance projects, which would then be carried out by the Department of Accounting and General Services.

The intent of this measure is to reduce the backlog of all identified school repair and maintenance projects from $640,000,000 to $100,000,000. In particular, this measure:

1. Requires the Department of Accounting and General Services to compile and submit quarterly reports to the Department of Education regarding the current status of all school repair and maintenance projects;
2. Requires the Department of Education to compile and report information to all school complexes and schools indicating the current status of all school repair and maintenance projects; and
3. Requires the Department of Accounting and General Services and the Department of Education to submit recommendations and proposed legislation to the Legislature transferring authority over school repair and maintenance funds from the Department of Accounting and General Services to the Department of Education.

Your Committee agrees with the intent of this measure, and finds that it will help to reduce the backlog of school repair and maintenance projects to prevent the further deterioration of public schools and to improve public education in Hawaii.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure by:

1. Designating sections 1 to 3 of the bill as part I of the bill;
2. Adding a new part II of the bill to accomplish the following:

1. Amend the state educational facilities repair and maintenance account and the school physical plant operations and maintenance account to provide that appropriations or authorizations from the account are to be based on the prioritization approved by the Department of Education for repair and maintenance;
2. Make departmental school district business and fiscal officers responsible for coordinating physical plant operations and maintenance activities with the Department of Education, in addition to the Department of Accounting and General Services, and for planning capital improvement projects only with the Department of Education and not the Department of Accounting and General Services;
3. Amend the six-year financial program and financial plan for school repair and maintenance to require the Comptroller to develop and implement appropriate planning procedures and follow-up accountability reports to ensure sound planning, control, and accountability in allocated funds and to report annually to the Legislature; and
4. Require each school to meet with the Department of Education, in addition to the Department of Accounting and General Services, on an annual basis regarding the prioritization of repair and maintenance, and provide that where there are differing views as to priorities, that the Department of Education has the power to make the final decision;

1. Changing the effective date from July 1, 2030, to July 1, 2003; and
2. Making technical nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and consistency, including adding a "Ramseyer" section stating that statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken, and new statutory material is underscored.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 281, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 281, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.