STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1391

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1071

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1071, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE REGENTS CANDIDATE ADVISORY COUNCIL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to reconstitute the form and processes of the entity responsible for nominating candidates who would be eligible to be appointed to serve on the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii.

     More specifically, this measure, among other things:

(1)  Repeals provisions relating to the Regents Candidate Advisory Council and establishes the Candidate Advisory Council in its place, specifies its functions and responsibilities with respect to qualifying and selecting potential candidates for nomination to the Board of Regents, and temporarily places the Advisory Council in the Office of the Governor;

(2)  Provides that Candidate Advisory Council members are appointed by the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate and specifies that the term of each member will be for the duration of the term of the member's appointing authority;

(3)  Requires the Governor to select the chairperson of the Candidate Advisory Council; and

(4)  Specifies criteria for the Senate to consider in determining whether to confirm the Governor's nominees to the Board of Regents.

     Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Regents Candidate Advisory Council for the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that the existing Regents Candidate Advisory Council for the Board of Regents of the University is responsible for providing the Governor with a list of qualified candidates from which the Governor must select a nominee to fill a vacancy on the Board of Regents.  Your Committee believes that the present process of selecting Board of Regents candidates may have discouraged qualified candidates from applying for membership on the Board of Regents.  This measure is necessary to ensure that the entity that qualifies and selects candidates for nomination to the Board of Regents selects qualified candidates in a comprehensive, transparent, well-balanced, and merit‐based manner.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Specifying that the appointing authority for the student member is the Governor;

(2)  Adding provisions for holdover members and the filling of vacancies for unexpired terms;

(3)  Clarifying that each member serves for the remaining duration of the term of the member's appointing authority; and

(4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to promote continued discussion.

     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 H.B. No. 1071, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1071, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair