STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1711

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1045

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1045, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL COSTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make emergency appropriations to the Department of Accounting and General Services and the Judiciary for payroll and fringe benefit costs of certain Department of Law Enforcement personnel.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Department of Accounting and General Services, and Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that moneys were appropriated to the Department of Accounting and General Services and Judiciary in fiscal year 2024-2025 for interdepartmental transfers to the Department of Law Enforcement for payroll costs of sheriffs. However, the appropriation amounts did not include fringe benefits, creating a critical funding shortage. Your Committee further finds that the emergency appropriations made by this measure will pay for these fringe benefit costs.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the declaration that the state general fund expenditure ceiling for fiscal year 2024-2025 has been exceeded to reflect the amounts by which the ceiling has been exceeded;

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

(3) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests that your Committee on Conference, should it convene to deliberate on this measure, consider the testimony of the Department of Budget and Finance, which recommended that this measure be amended by:

(1) Appropriating $2,408,509 for the Department of Accounting and General Services and $4,673,516 for the Judiciary; and

(2) Inserting a new section that makes a commensurate appropriation of $7,154,125 in interdepartmental transfer funds for fiscal year 2024-2025, to be expended by the Department of Law Enforcement for personnel costs, including payroll and fringe benefits.

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. 1045, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1045, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair