STAND. COM. REP. NO. 317

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1101

       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 Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1101 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISASTER RELIEF,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Allow, in cases where the Department of Education directly expends its own funds for disaster relief, to be directly credited with any federal disaster relief reimbursement; and

     (2)  Clarify that the Department of Education may carry over funds received as a disaster relief appropriation or reimbursement.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

     Your Committee finds that disaster relief expenditures are generally made from State Department of Defense appropriations or other specific appropriations made for such a purpose.  Your Committee further finds that in the event of an emergency, the Department of Education may expend funds appropriated for other purposes to provide disaster relief.  Your Committee additionally finds that there is no existing mechanism for reimbursing the Department of Education for funds expended for emergency disaster relief.  This measure will provide assurance that funds expended by the Department of Education for emergency disaster relief will be reimbursed so the Department may use such funds for their original intended purpose.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1101, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1101, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair