Allow the Board of Regents to enter into public/private partnerships or agreements with the approval of the Director of Finance and the University of Hawaii General Counsel.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Section 37D-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

"(a) There is hereby established and authorized the financing agreement program of the State. Any agency desiring to acquire or improve projects through the financing agreement program established and authorized by this chapter shall submit a written request to the department providing such information as the department shall require. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, and except for the Hawaii health systems corporation, only with the approval by the attorney general as to form and legality and upon the written request of one or more participating agencies may the department enter into a financing agreement in accordance with this chapter, except that the board of regents of the University of Hawaii may enter into a financing agreement in accordance with this chapter without the approval of the director and of the attorney general as to form and legality if the principal amount of the financing agreement does not exceed $3,000,000. In addition, the board of regents of the University of Hawaii is authorized to enter into financing agreements in accordance with this chapter with the approval of the director and the approval of the general counsel of the University of Hawaii as to form and legality. A financing agreement may be entered into by the department on behalf of one or more participating agencies at any time (before or after commencement or completion of any improvements or acquisitions to be financed) and shall be upon terms and conditions the department finds to be advantageous. In each case of a written request by the judiciary to participate in the financing agreement program, the department shall implement the request; provided that the related financing agreement shall be upon terms and conditions the department finds to be advantageous. Any financing agreement entered into by the department without the approval required by this section shall be void and of no effect. A single financing agreement may finance a single item or multiple items of property to be used by multiple agencies or may finance a single item or multiple items of property to be used by a single agency. The department shall bill any participating agency that benefits from property acquired with the proceeds of a financing agreement for such participating agency's pro rata share of:

on a monthly or other periodic basis, and may deposit payments received in connection with the billings with a trustee as security for a financing agreement. Any participating agency receiving such a bill shall be authorized and shall pay the amounts billed from the available moneys."

SECTION 2. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.