STAND. COM. REP. NO.  89-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 2650

      H.D. 1

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. 2650 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXPENSES OF THE LEGISLATURE, THE AUDITOR, THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU, THE OMBUDSMAN, AND THE ETHICS COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the legislative branch of state government.  Specifically, this bill:

     (1)  Appropriates $8,324,033 to the Senate;

     (2)  Appropriates $11,428,576 to the House of Representatives;

     (3)  Appropriates $2,793,849 to the Office of the Auditor;

     (4)  Appropriates $2,550,828 for deposit into the Audit Revolving Fund;

     (5)  Appropriates $6,000,000 from the Audit Revolving Fund to the Office of the Auditor to conduct or complete its audit functions;

     (6)  Appropriates $3,263,947 to the Legislative Reference Bureau;

     (7)  Appropriates $1,085,728 to the Office of the Ombudsman; and

     (8)  Appropriates $909,531 to the State Ethics Commission.

The Office of the Ombudsman, Hawaii State Ethics Commission, and League of Women Voters testified in support of this measure.  The Office of the Auditor and Legislative Reference Bureau provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Increasing the general fund appropriation for deposit into the Audit Revolving Fund to $2,800,000; and

     (2)  Increasing the Audit Revolving Fund appropriation for the Office of the Auditor to conduct or complete its audit functions to $6,300,000.

     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. 2650, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2650, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair