STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2385

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2928

       S.D. 1

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. 2928 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Hawaii Community Development Authority to assign at least three members, but less than the number of members that would constitute a quorum, to attend every scheduled public input session.

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Information Practices and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Community Development Authority schedules supplemental hearings on weekday nights and weekend days to promote community outreach and dialogue and receive testimony.  A court reporter prepares a verbatim transcript of all testimony received, and this transcript is provided to the Authority.  Furthermore, the public and affected community are given opportunities through these supplemental hearings to provide testimony and engage in a dialogue with Authority staff in a setting that promotes engagement.

     Your Committee further finds that this measure would require at least three members to attend every community engagement, including supplemental hearings.  A lack of available Authority members could limit the scheduling of supplemental hearings and consequently deter, rather than promote, community engagement.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the requirement that at least three members attend every scheduled community engagement session; and

     (2)  Inserting language to require the Hawaii Community Development Authority to create a permitted interaction group to attend all public input sessions.

     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. 2928, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2928, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

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

____________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair