STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1139

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

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

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXPENSES OF THE LEGISLATURE, THE AUDITOR, THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU, THE OMBUDSMAN, AND THE ETHICS COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the legislative branch of the State of Hawaii.

More specifically, this measure:

(1) Appropriates funds for the Senate, House of Representatives, Office of the Auditor, Legislative Reference Bureau, Office of the Ombudsman, and State Ethics Commission up to June 30, 2022;

(2) Requires that payment of Senate expenses between the 2021 and 2022 Regular Sessions be made only after the approval of the President of the Senate and that payment of House of Representatives expenses during that same period be made only after the approval of the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(3) Requires that the accounts of the Senate and the House of Representatives be audited before January 19, 2022; and

(4) Provides that the expenses of any member of the legislature while traveling abroad on official business shall be $145 per day.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, Office of the Auditor, and Office of the Ombudsman, and one individual.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Your Committee finds that this measure appropriates sufficient funds to defray necessary expenses of the Senate and House of Representatives, including expenses for a legislative information system and legislative broadcasting system, along with funds necessary to support the operations of the Office of the Auditor, Legislative Reference Bureau, Office of the Ombudsman, and State Ethics Commission.

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 H.B. No. 1, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair