STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1516

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1338

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1338, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER ADVOCACY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to investigate the power outages on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii following the earthquake on October 15, 2006.

     More specifically, the bill provides for an emergency appropriation to the Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to investigate the reasonableness of the post-earthquake responses of Hawaiian Electric Company and its subsidiaries.

     Your Committee received comments in support of this measure from the Public Utilities Commission and the Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

     Your Committee finds that the earthquake of October 15, 2006, caused power outages on the islands of Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii.  Your Committee further finds that an emergency appropriation of $100,000 permits the Division of Consumer Advocacy to continue to advocate on behalf of consumers by investigating the power outages and hiring an independent expert to finalize the investigation.

     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 H.B. No. 1338, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair