STAND. COM. REP. NO. 283

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1364

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 Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1364 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 for fiscal year 2024-2025 to the Department of Accounting and General Services and the Judiciary for payroll and fringe benefits of affected Department of Law Enforcement personnel.

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

Your Committee finds that this measure seeks to appropriate general funds to cover payroll and fringe benefit costs for law enforcement personnel which were not covered by section 3 of Act 164, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023, as amended by Act 230, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024; and section 3 of Act 70, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023, as amended by Act 233, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024.

Your Committee finds that the interdepartmental transfer mechanism proposed in this measure aligns with proper fiscal management practices while ensuring that critical law enforcement services remain uninterrupted. This funding is essential for maintaining the operational capacity of the Department of Law Enforcement, and for fulling the Department's mandate to provide the highest level of law enforcement service for the public, state employees, and state properties.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2077, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

Your Committee notes that this measure contains unspecified appropriation amounts. Should your Committee on Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider inserting an appropriation amount of $2,480,509 for the Department of Accounting and General Services and $4,673,616 for the Judiciary, and $7,154,125 for an interdepartmental transfer from the Judiciary to the Department of Law Enforcement.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1364, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1364, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs,

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BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair