CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 143-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2016

RE:    H.B. No. 2569

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 2569, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate general funds and the proceeds of general obligation bonds to the Department of Education for air conditioning, heat abatement, energy efficient lighting, and related energy efficiency measures at public schools.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that the temperatures in many Hawaii public school classrooms often exceed levels that are optimal for learning and, in certain classrooms, may jeopardize the safety of students and teachers.  While your Committee on Conference believes that air conditioning and heat abatement are necessary to improve the learning environment in the State's public schools, your Committee on Conference believes that the State's students and teachers will be best served if the contents of this measure were included in another measure.  Your Committee on Conference also believes that this measure can still serve as a vehicle to require the Department of Education to cool Hawaii's public school classrooms, provide students and teachers with a better environment for learning, reduce the Department of Education's energy costs, and achieve progress toward the State's renewable energy goals. 

     Accordingly, your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by deleting its contents and inserting language from Senate Bill No. 3126, H.D. 2.  More specifically, the amended measure requires the Department of Education to:

(1)  Establish a goal of becoming net-zero with respect to energy use by January 1, 2035;

     (2)  Expedite the cooling of all public school classrooms; and

(3)  Submit an annual report to the Legislature containing information about its progress toward the net-zero energy goal and the cooling of all public school classrooms.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2569, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2569, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair	____________________________ CHRIS LEE, Co-Chair
____________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROY M. TAKUMI, Co-Chair
____________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Co-Chair	____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE, Co-Chair