STAND. COM. REP. NO.  5-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 2002

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2002 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXPENSES OF THE LEGISLATURE, THE AUDITOR, THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU, THE OMBUDSMAN, AND THE ETHICS COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the legislative branch of state government.  Specifically, this bill:

     (1)  Appropriates $7,377,244 to the Senate;

     (2)  Appropriates $10,481,787 to the House of Representatives;

     (3)  Authorizes $145 per day for travel allowance while traveling abroad on official business;

     (4)  Appropriates $2,663,849 to the Office of the Auditor for operating expenses;

     (5)  Appropriates $2,550,828 for deposit into the Audit Revolving Fund;

     (6)  Authorizes $6,000,000 from the Audit Revolving Fund to the Office of the Auditor to conduct or complete its audit functions;

     (7)  Appropriates $3,033,970 to the Legislative Reference Bureau;

     (8)  Appropriates $1,017,875 to the Office of the Ombudsman;

     (9)  Appropriates $849,531 to the State Ethics Commission; and

    (10)  Appropriates $87,500 each to the Senate and the House of Representatives for the production and distribution of television broadcasts of legislative proceedings.

The Office of the Ombudsman, the Office of the Auditor, and the Hawaii State Ethics Commission testified in support of this bill.  The Legislative Reference Bureau and a concerned individual provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Reducing the appropriation to the Legislative Reference Bureau to $2,983,970; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2002, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2002, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair