STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2720

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2919

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. 2919, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to maximize the use of public library lands.

More specifically, this measure:

(1) Establishes and appropriates general funds for a pilot program to lease public library lands to meet the mission of the public libraries;

(2) Establishes the library facilities fund, the moneys of which are to be used for state library programs; and

(3) Requires the Board of Education to submit to the Legislature reports on the pilot program.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Public Library System and the OCC Legislative Priorities Committee, Democratic Party of Hawaii.

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

Your Committee finds that although public libraries are valuable resources, the State should consider new ways of generating funds to support the purposes of the libraries. Your Committee believes that the lease of public library lands may be an appropriate source of such funding.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Correcting an erroneous reference to the library facilities fund;

(2) Extending the deadline for the Board of Education's first annual report to the Legislature to twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020;

(3) Appropriating an unspecified amount from the general revenues of the State to the Hawaii State Public Library System for the hiring of experts in land development issues;

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(5) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

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. 2919, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2919, 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