STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2255

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2277

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2277 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Require a state agency that is required to report to the Legislature to provide written notice to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives in cases where it cannot meet the deadline;

     (2)  Allow the Legislature to reduce a state agency's budget in cases where an appropriation was made to assist the state agency with the report and the agency fails to report to the Legislature on time or fails to provide proper notice that the agency cannot meet the reporting deadline; and

     (3)  Require state agencies to provide the Legislature with a detailed list of any and all reports due one week prior to the reports' due date.

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

     Your Committee finds that state agencies are required to submit reports to the Legislature pursuant to relevant statutes, budget bill provisions, and other types of legislation.  This measure holds agencies accountable for submitting these reports in a timely manner while assisting the Legislature in keeping track of reports, in part, by requiring prior notice if a state agency is unable to meet a reporting deadline.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2277 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing,

____________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair