STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2628

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2603

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2603, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to ensure that certain audit reports and studies conducted pursuant to legislation enacted with an appropriation or adopted by concurrent resolution are more widely distributed and reviewed.

More specifically, this measure:

(1) Requires that any of these reports or studies be submitted to the subject matter committee chair of the Senate and the House of Representatives;

(2) Requires a public hearing or informational briefing on the reports or studies within one year of the receipt of the report or study; and

(3) Exempts financial and regularly occurring studies or audits from these requirements.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of the Auditor and Common Cause Hawaii.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that requiring a public hearing or informational briefing on the content of those reports conducted pursuant to legislation enacted with an appropriation or adopted by concurrent resolution, will result in wider distribution of the reports, thus increasing government accountability and access to the information.

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

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. 2603, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2603, S.D. 2.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair