STAND. COM. REP. NO.  892-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1999

      H.D. 3

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1999, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRIC UTILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure adequate provision of electric utility services to the public by establishing a Legislative Utility Review Task Force to review franchises held by investor-owned public utilities.

Sierra Club of Hawaii and a concerned individual testified in support of this measure.  Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, Limited, and Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., testified in opposition to this measure.  The Public Utilities Commission and the Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs commented on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion.

     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. 1999, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1999, H.D. 3.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair