CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 92-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2008

RE:    H.B. No. 2272

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 2272, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO QUALIFIED COMMUNITY REHABILITATION PROGRAMS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to assist programs that employ persons with disabilities by:

     (1)  Providing a civil service exemption for contracts with qualified community rehabilitation programs for building, custodial, and grounds maintenance services lasting no longer than a year, and costing no more than $1,000,000; and

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Human Resources Development to report annually to the Legislature on qualified community rehabilitation programs expenditures and related activities.

     Qualified community rehabilitation programs enable workers with disabilities to become contributing members of Hawaii's communities and provide much needed employment opportunities to the most underemployed and unemployed segment of Hawaii's population.  However, contracts with these organizations often exceed the $750,000 limit on contracts that are exempt from Hawaii's Civil Service Law.

     As these qualified community rehabilitation programs represent a very small and limited number of agencies in Hawaii, raising the exemption limit for these contracts seems reasonable.  However, your Committee on Conference believes that raising the cost limit to $1,000,000 is a bit high and that $850,000 is a more acceptable compromise.

     Accordingly, your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing the exemption from contracts that do not exceed $1,000,000 to contracts that do not exceed $850,000; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2272, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2272, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair	____________________________ ALEX M. SONSON, Co-Chair
____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair	____________________________ SHARON E. HAR, Co-Chair
____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair