STAND. COM. REP. NO. 432

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 888

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 888 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR CLAIMS AGAINST THE STATE, ITS OFFICERS, OR ITS EMPLOYEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an appropriation to satisfy several claims against the State, its officers, or its employees, including claims for legislative relief, judgments against the State, settlements, and other miscellaneous claims.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

     Your Committee finds that this measure requests a total of $652,602.09 in appropriations from the general fund to satisfy eleven claims against the State, a total of $5,552,020.44 in appropriations from the state highway fund to satisfy three claims against the State, and a total of $116,000.00 in appropriations from the harbor special fund to satisfy one claim against the State.  The grand total for the fifteen claims settled in this measure as received by your Committee is $6,320,622.53.  Timely passage of this measure will minimize the State's obligation to pay interest on those amounts.

     Your Committee notes the written testimony submitted by the Department of the Attorney General, which requests the addition of two new claims that have been resolved since this measure was introduced.  The addition of these two new claims results in a total of $1,671,102.09 in appropriations needed from the general fund.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding general fund appropriations for two claims totaling $1,018,500, as requested by the Department of the Attorney General, which increases the grand total of appropriations in this measure to $7,339,122.53 in order to satisfy a total of seventeen claims against the State, its officers, or its employees;

     (2)  Correcting the subtotal amount of appropriations from the general fund to satisfy the claims involving the Department of Public Safety to $563,000.00;

     (3)  Inserting an effective date of January 7, 2059, to encourage further discussion; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 888, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 888, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

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GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair