THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

225

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

  

STATE OF HAWAII

  
   

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A FOLLOW-UP AUDIT OF THE "MANAGEMENT AUDIT OF THE HIGHWAYS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION" AND OF THE DEPARTMENT'S GENERAL PRACTICE OF PLACing STAFF on prolonged administrative assignments without REVISING their job responsibilities, in order to informally institute a major reorganization not reflected in THE written position DESCRIPTIONS, organization charts, and functional statements.

 

WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is organized into three divisions for airports, harbors, and highways; and

WHEREAS, in March 2004, the Director of Transportation effectuated a transition to a fourth Division, named the Central Planning Office, without adopting a clear written description of proposed changes to the DOT's organization, functions, staffing, chain-of-command, and job responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, the DOT'S three divisions no longer determine work assignments or priorities for several dozen employees in each division who were administratively assigned to the Central Planning Office effective March 2, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Executive Administrative Directive No. 95-06 provides that "Any changes to organizations at the branch level or above may be implemented only after they are reviewed and acknowledged by the Director of Finance"; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Human Resources Development Position Classification and Compensation System Policy No. 200.001 provides that:

"E. DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. The department shall ensure that the duties and responsibilities assigned to each of its positions are accurately reflected in an official position description;

2. Redescriptions shall be submitted on a timely basis if significant changes in the duties and responsibilities of a position are made;

3. Departments shall not use the classification process to evade the principles of the merit system and effect personnel changes for which other personnel processes exist."; and

WHEREAS, Auditor Report No. 00-09, "Management Audit of the Highways Division of the Department of Transportation" found that:

(1) The division's organizational structure was fragmented and inefficient;

(2) The director ignored administrative directives for effecting organizational change and the governor's order to increase the division's span of supervisory control; and

(3) The division has placed staff on administrative assignments, a term contrived by the division, to circumvent established rules and executive orders, so consequently, functions of newly created positions parallel existing organizational units rather than displace them and supervisors continue to occupy their positions with no one to supervise;

now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a follow-up audit of the "Management Audit of the Highways Division of the Highways Division of the Department of Transportation" and the Department of Transportation's general practice of placing staff on prolonged administrative assignments without revising their job responsibilities, in order to informally institute a major reorganization not reflected in the written position descriptions, organization charts, and functional statements; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to report findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2006; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and the Director of Transportation.

 

 
 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Department of Transportation Management Audit; Auditor