STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2057

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2279

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2279 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Reduce the backlog of repair and maintenance projects within the public schools to a manageable level by authorizing the issuance of an unspecified sum of general obligation bonds and appropriating the revenues derived therefrom for these repair and maintenance projects; and

     (2)  Provide a temporary exemption from chapters 103 and 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for the Department of Education in order to expedite construction projects.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one state agency and one private organization.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by one state agency.  Written testimony presented to your Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that the funds appropriated by this measure will help reduce the repair and maintenance project backlog at our public schools.  However, your Committee believes that the temporary exemption from the provisions of the Procurement Code are unnecessary, because Act 175, Session Laws of Hawaii 2009, allows for expedited construction procurements of less than $250,000 via electronic procurement.  Further, the Department of Education may streamline their policies and procedures regarding procurement without a specific exemption from the Procurement Code.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting part II of the measure, which contains the temporary exemption from chapters 103 and 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for the Department of Education; and

     (2)  Deleting the references to parts I and III and making other conforming changes for consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2279, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2279, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education and Housing,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair