STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3269

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 2598

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2598, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAII 3R'S,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

(1)  Rename the Hawaii 3R's school repair and maintenance fund as the Hawaii 3R's school improvement fund; and

 

(2)  Require the transfer of moneys collected pursuant to section 235-102.5(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, and any other moneys received in the form of grants and donations for school-level improvement and minor repairs and maintenance to the Hawaii 3R's school improvement fund.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaiian Electric Company, and Hawaii 3R's.

 

     Your Committee finds that the State's public schools need many physical improvements and that section 235-102.5(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, enables taxpayers to make donations for school repairs and maintenance by checking a box on their individual income tax returns.  These donations from taxpayers have allowed Hawaii 3R's to complete many badly-needed school improvements.  This measure ensures that taxpayer donations for school repairs and maintenance are transferred to the Hawaii 3R's school improvement fund so those activities will continue.  However, your Committee believes that requiring all grants or donations for school improvements and minor repairs and maintenance to be transferred to Hawaii 3R's would create a bottleneck for school or community organizations wanting to directly assist schools with their campus improvement projects.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Amending section 302A-1504.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to allow, rather than require, the Department of Education to transfer to the Hawaii 3R's school improvement fund any grants and donations for school repairs and maintenance, other than the donations received pursuant to section 235-102.5(b);

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

 

     Your Committee believes that the amended measure will provide the Department of Education with the flexibility to transfer the grants and donations to Hawaii 3R's for the projects that would most benefit from Hawaii 3R's' involvement.

 

     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. 2598, 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. 2598, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair