STAND. COM. REP. NO.  876-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2569

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2569, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to accelerate the goals of the Department of Education (Department) to cool Hawaii's schools, reduce energy costs, meet Hawaii's clean energy goals, and provide all students with better classrooms in which to learn by:

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

     (2)  Requiring the Department to establish in each county at least one microgrid pilot project at public schools that also serve as emergency shelters;

     (3)  Requiring the Department to expedite the cooling of all public school classrooms to a temperature acceptable for student learning; and

     (4)  Authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds and the use of funds from the Green Infrastructure Loan Program to implement cooling measures in public school classrooms.

     Pursuant to the requirements set forth in Article VII, Section 9, of the Hawaii State Constitution, the Governor, in Governor's Message No. 8 to the Legislature, requested immediate consideration and passage of this measure by the Legislature to appropriate emergency funds needed for the energy efficiency and heat abatement initiatives of the Department of Education.

The Board of Education; Department of Education; IMUAlliance; Blue Planet Foundation; and one concerned individual supported this measure.  The Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority; State Adjutant General; Hawaii Emergency Management Agency; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Budget and Finance; Hawaii State Teachers Association; and Hawaiian Electric Company and its subsidiaries, Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the authorized general obligation bond issuance and Green Infrastructure Loan Program loan amounts to unspecified amounts;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 2569, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2569, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair