STAND. COM. REP. NO.  844

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2021

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1299

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1299 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NON-GENERAL FUNDS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal various non-general funds and transfer the unencumbered balances remaining in those funds to the general fund.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services and Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Judiciary, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Department of Human Resources Development, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department of Transportation, University of Hawaii System, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Crime Victim Compensation Commission, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Enhanced 911 Board, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, Public Utilities Commission, Board of Education, Aloha Stadium, Hawaii State Public Library System, Office of Enterprise Technology Services, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Honolulu Police Department, Hawaii Fire Department, Hawaii Police Department, Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Hawaii, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Maui, Maui Police Department, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, The Queen's Health Systems, Farrell & Perrault, Wilcox Medical Center, Hawaii Pacific Health, Action with Aloha LLC, Hawaii Athletic Trainers' Association, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition,  Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawaii, Lanai Community Health Center, Hawaii COPD Coalition, Hawaii State Rural Health Association, Hilo Medical Center Foundation, Hawaii State Bar Association, Appellate Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association, Hawaii County Bar Association, Waipahu Community School for Adults, Sex Abuse Treatment Center, American Heart Association, Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, Peer Education Program at Aiea High School, The Trust for Public Land, Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center, Conservation Council for Hawaii, Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Hawaii State Center for Nursing, Hawaii Access to Justice Commission, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Hope Services, DTRIC Insurance, Papa Ola Lokahi, Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, Kuaaina Ulu Auamo, Ala Kahakai Trail Association Board, Hoi Mai Ka Lei I Mamo, Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, and numerous individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Taxation; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Department of Budget and Finance; Department of Public Safety; Department of Health; Department of Human Services; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority; Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; State Health Planning and Development Agency; Disability Communication Access Board; Hawaii State Energy Office; Hawaii Technology Development Corporation; County of Hawaii; Catholic Charities Hawaii; Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii; Hawaii Justice Foundation; Tax Foundation of Hawaii; PHOCUSED; North Shore Community Land Trust; Parents and Children Together; and two individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that budgetary constraints brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic require scrutiny of all funds to determine whether the State's financial resources are being deployed effectively and efficiently.  This measure repeals and abolishes various funds that no longer serve their purpose and restructures certain programs so that they may be more efficiently funded through general funds.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Deleting the funds that did not meet the criteria for repeal or abolishment established by the Committee; and

 

(2)  Adding provisions that incorporate the recommendations made by the Auditor in the Auditor's review of special funds, revolving funds, trust funds, and trust accounts in Auditor Report Nos. 19-05, 19-16, 20-01, 20-03, 20-16, 20-17, 20-18, and 21-02.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1299, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1299, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair