STAND. COM. REP. NO.  813

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 857

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 857, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SUSTAINABILITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend the Environmental Response, Energy, and Food Security Tax by reallocating its revenues from the general fund and making the funds available for environmental response, renewable energy, and food security purposes for which they were intended and repealing its sunset provision.

The Office of the Governor; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Office of Planning; Department of Agriculture; Department of Health; Hawaii Natural Energy Institute; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter; Ulupono Initiative; The Nature Conservancy; and Blue Planet Foundation provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Budget and Finance, Tax Foundation of Hawaii, and Windward Ahupuaa Alliance provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the amount of the funds appropriated;

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2030, for the purpose of facilitating further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of 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. 857, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 857, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair