STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 137
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2019
RE: H.B. No. 759
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2019
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 759 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to authorize the expenditure of
base amounts for the operating budgets of certain Department of Commerce and
Consumer Affairs programs for fiscal year (FY) 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021. Specifically, this measure authorizes the Department
to expend the base amounts as follows:
|
Program ID |
Program |
FY
2020 |
FY
2021 |
|
CCA103 |
Consumer Advocate for Communication, Utilities, and
Transportation Services |
|
|
|
|
Position
Ceiling: |
23.00* |
23.00* |
|
|
Operating: |
$4,228,537B |
$4,228,537B |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CCA110 |
Office of Consumer Protection |
|
|
|
|
Position
Ceiling: |
18.00* |
18.00* |
|
|
|
2.00# |
2.00# |
|
|
Operating: |
$2,684,968B |
$2,684,968B |
|
|
|
$100,681T |
$100,681T |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CC901 |
Public Utilities Commission |
|
|
|
|
Position
Ceiling: |
65.00* |
65.00* |
|
|
Operating: |
$15,470,219B |
$15,470,219B |
The abbreviations and letter symbols have the following meanings:
* Permanent full-time equivalent
# Temporary full-time equivalent
B Special Funds
T Trust Funds
Your Committee notes that the Division of Consumer Advocacy (DCA) represents, protects, and advances the interests of consumers of utility and transportation services before the regulatory agencies, but primarily the Public Utilities Commission. While the DCA continues to advance the interests of consumers in the State, the DCA does so while
struggling to fill vacancies due to the positions' technical and specific qualifications. Your Committee finds that the DCA may better serve the people of Hawaii by restructuring some of the vacant positions that have proven to be difficult to fill.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Removing two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) Public Utilities Rate Analyst V positions from the DCA (CCA103); and
(2) Reducing the operating budget for the DCA (CCA103) by $130,492 to $4,098,045 for both FY 2020 and FY 2021 to reflect the reduction in positions.
Finally, your Committee notes that the amendments to this measure only reflect the removal of vacant positions that have been difficult to fill. Other measures before the Legislature will address the appropriate number and types of positions that should be added to the DCA (CCA103) to properly address the DCA's increasing workload needs.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 759, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 759, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,
|
|
|
____________________________ ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair |
|
|
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|