CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO.153

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 1100

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

C.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1100, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BUDGET OF THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this bill is to provide the necessary appropriations and authorizations for the operation of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) for the 2001-2003 fiscal biennium.

Your Committee on Conference recognizes the role and responsibilities of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in providing programs and services for its beneficiaries and appreciates the efforts of OHA's Board of Trustees in submitting a biennium budget proposal that is cognizant of the State's limited general fund resources.

OHA has recently undergone extensive reorganization, collapsing eleven program systems into four. OHA has operated under this reorganization since November 2000. Your Committee on Conference understands that although this transition may have disrupted OHA's operations at the time, it would be counterproductive for OHA to return to operation under its previous program structure. Your Committee on Conference has therefore restructured OHA's programs in its budget to more accurately reflect OHA's current structure and operations.

Your Committee on Conference also recognizes that OHA can better serve Hawaiians by collecting information on the Hawaiian population. This biennium, OHA submitted only one request for additional general fund participation for a new database for native Hawaiians. To better collect and analyze demographic information relating to Hawaiians, your Committee on Conference has provided $100,000 for fiscal year 2001-2002 and $13,000 for fiscal year 2002-2003 to compile statistics of the physical, mental, social, and economic needs of native Hawaiians. With the implementation of this database, OHA can continue to fulfill its responsibility to function as a clearinghouse of information directly to Hawaiians as well as to government agencies and other organizations who work for the betterment of Hawaiians.

Your Committee on Conference also has serious concerns with regard to OHA's budgeting of trust fund revenues. The current appropriation ceiling of $3,981,312 does not accurately reflect the true spending plan of the Trustees. The financial statements for the period of July 1, 1999, to June 30, 2000, as found in the 2000 annual report, indicate that OHA expended $14,500,000 in trust funds. As such, your Committee on Conference has added a proviso to this bill seeking a full accounting of actual and planned expenditures from the trust fund.

Your Committee on Conference is appropriating $2,619,663 in general funds and $4,446,029 in trust fund expenditures to OHA for fiscal year 2001-2002 and $2,532,663 in general funds and $4,029,866 in trust fund expenditures for fiscal year 2002-2003.

 

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1100, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1100, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair

____________________________

DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair