STAND. COM. REP. NO. 646

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1711

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. 1711 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE AGENCIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to increase the salaries of deputies and first assistants of legislative service agencies from not more than eighty-seven per cent to not more than ninety-two per cent of the salary of the head of the agency.

     The Office of the Auditor, Office of the Ombudsman, and the Legislative Reference Bureau submitted testimony in support of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that this measure would create parity between deputies and first assistants in the legislative branch and their counterparts in the executive branch and also promote recruitment and retention of qualified employees.

     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. 1711 and recommends that it pass Second Reading 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