STAND

STAND. COM. REP. 2525

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 1491

S.D. 1

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1491 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE GOVERNMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to remove the limit on the total amount of interest that may be charged to state agencies that fail to pay their debts on time.

Your Committee has deleted the contents of the measure and inserted in its place provisions that:

(1) Authorize the transfer of excess revenues contained in various special funds, revolving funds, and special accounts to the credit of the general fund;

(2) Reduce the balance ceiling for the Environmental Health Education Special Fund from $300,000 to $150,000; and

(3) Repeal the Governor's and the various executive departments' authority to transfer excess balances from special funds to the general fund.

Your Committee finds that the amended measure will assist the State in bolstering the cash position of the general fund so that it may meet the needs of the state budget. The amended measure will also assist the State in exercising more fiscal accountability by repealing the authority of the Governor and executive departments to transfer special funds to the general fund at any time.

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. 1491, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1491, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

		____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair