STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2299

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3030

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 3030 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE AUDITOR,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to create a uniform policy allowing salary decreases for all heads of legislative agencies by applying the salary diminishment provisions to the Auditor.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the League of Women Voters of Hawaii.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Office of the Auditor.

     Your Committee finds that while all salaried state officers are subject to salary cuts as provided by general law, the Auditor is statutorily exempt from these provisions.  This measure creates parity with the salary diminishment provisions applied to the heads of the other legislative agencies.

     The State Auditor noted that the Office of the Auditor is different from the other legislative agencies in that the auditor position was constitutionally created.  The enabling statutes established a salary diminishment exemption for the Auditor without any express qualifying statements for the exemption.  Your Committee believes this issue merits further discussion as this measure moves through the legislative process.

     As such, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to ensure further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3030, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3030, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair