STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2103

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2960

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2960 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 the Department of Accounting and General Services to make electricity payments for department-managed facilities statewide.

     Testimony in support of the measure was received from the Department of Accounting and General Services.

     Your Committee finds that this measure is necessary to cover a projected shortfall of funds that is due to the spike in oil prices since the start of the 2007-2008 fiscal year.  Without this emergency appropriation, the Department of Accounting and General Services will be unable to make timely utility payments for the remainder of this fiscal year for facilities under the Department's jurisdiction.

     Your Committee will continue to monitor this measure and work with the House Committee on Finance to determine the final appropriation amount necessary.

     Your Committee has made technical nonsubstantive amendments to this measure for the purposes of style and clarity.

     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. 2960, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2960, 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