STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2769

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2859

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2859 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to increase the minimum balance amount required to be retained in the public utilities commission special fund at the end of each fiscal year from $1,000,000 to $3,000,000.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Public Utilities Commission, Blue Planet Foundation, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that all moneys in excess of $1,000,000 remaining on balance in the public utilities commission special fund lapse to the general fund on June 30 of each year.  This requirement was established over twenty years ago, and the complexity and size of the Commission's workload has since drastically increased.  Your Committee further finds that, because of new statutory mandates, evolving technology, new utility business models, and other important Commission matters, this amount has become insufficient to meet the Commission's current financial obligations.   

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the:

     (1)  Proposed minimum balance amount to be retained in the public utilities commission special fund from $3,000,000 to an unspecified sum; and

     (2)  Effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure. 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2859, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2859, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair