STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2499

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2919

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2919 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a pilot program to generate revenue through the lease of public library lands to meet the mission of the public libraries;

(2) Establish the library facilities fund;

(3) Require the Board of Education to submit a report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2019; and

(4) Appropriate funds for the pilot program.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Hawaii State Public Library System.

Your Committees find that public libraries provide an invaluable service to the community. However, there is a need to examine new and innovative methods of generating funds to support the mission of the public libraries. Consequently, your Committees find that generating funds through the lease of public library lands may provide a viable source of funding for the public libraries. Accordingly, your Committees find that it is appropriate to establish a pilot program to generate revenue through the lease of public library lands to meet the mission of the public libraries to be facilitated by the State Librarian, Board of Education, and any other appropriate agencies.

Your Committees have amended this measure by replacing the Board of Education as the expending agency of the proposed appropriation with the Hawaii State Public Library System.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2919, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2919, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Water and Land,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair