STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3055

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 63

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Water, Land, and Housing, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 63 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A FISCAL AUDIT OF THE KAHO‘OLAWE REHABILITATION TRUST FUND,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the State Auditor to conduct a fiscal audit of the Kaho‘olawe Rehabilitation Trust Fund that includes a determination of whether the funds are being used in compliance with state laws, in compliance with any applicable grant agreements, and to effectuate the purposes of chapter 6K, Hawaii Revised Statutes, including the performance of duties and responsibilities of the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Maui County Department of Planning.

     Your Committees find that the Legislature created the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission to manage the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve while it is held in trust for a future Native Hawaiian sovereign entity.  The Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission uses the federal funds designated for state responsibilities for the restoration of the Island Reserve.  An audit would be valuable to the Legislature, providing greater accountability and information to help determine how to fund the restoration of the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve in the future.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Water, Land, and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 63, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 63, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Water, Land, and Housing,

____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

____________________________ BRICKWOOD GALUTERIA, Chair