STAND. COM. REP. NO. 845

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1312

       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 S.B. No. 1312 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR ELECTRICITY PAYMENTS STATEWIDE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation for electricity payments statewide.

     This bill appropriates $626,000 for fiscal year 2006-2007 to pay the electricity bill incurred by state facilities statewide due to unanticipated increases in global oil prices.

     Your Committee received comments in support of this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services.

     Your Committee has amended this bill, in accordance with section 9 of article VII of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, to insert a new section 2 stating that the appropriation in this bill will cause the general fund expenditure ceiling to be exceeded by $626,000 and by .012 per cent and that the appropriation is necessary to serve the public interest and to meet the needs provided for by this bill.

     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. 1312, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1312, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair