STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1066
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2021
RE: S.B. No. 1395
S.D. 2
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 Government Reform, to which was referred S.B. No. 1395, S.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Require the Governor to appoint an individual to fill a vacancy within all boards and commissions within one hundred eighty days of the expiration of a member's term;
(2) Specify that holdover appointments are limited to one hundred eighty days, after which time a vacancy is created on the board or commission;
(3) Require department heads to inform the Governor of any vacancy on any board or commission; and
(4) Require an outgoing Governor to provide the Governor-elect with an up-to-date list of information about boards and commissions.
Your Committee finds that state boards and commission allow for a cross-section of Hawaii's residents to offer vital input and the ability to influence decisions that shape the quality of life for residents of the State. Your Committee further finds that the Governor nominates and appoints more than one hundred seventy board and commission positions. The vast number of nominations and appointments that the Governor oversees may cause a delay in filling any vacancies to a state board or commission, which could negatively impact the board's or commission's ability to conduct its business. Your Committee believes that the appropriate and timely nominations and appointments of members of boards and commissions will enable boards and commissions to meet and conduct their business with minimal delay.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2112,
to encourage further discussion; and
(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for
the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
Should your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs hear this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider the concerns raised in testimony by the Department of Human Services regarding the vital role that holdover members have on a board's or commission's ability to conduct business or make decisions, as there may not be an available and ready supply of qualified candidates to fill board and commission vacancies.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Government Reform that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1395, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1395, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Government Reform,
|
|
____________________________ ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair |
|
|
|