STAND. COM. REP. NO.  368-08

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

 

RE:   H.B. No. 3243

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Tourism & Culture, to which was referred H.B. No. 3243 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE HONOLULU SYMPHONY AND ITS PROGRAMS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to provide financial support for the Honolulu Symphony by appropriating $810,000 to meet the shortfall in funding for operations of the Honolulu Symphony and its programs.

 

     The Honolulu Symphony Society and numerous concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Department of Accounting and General Services opposed this bill.  The Department of Budget and Finance and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) submitted comments.

 

     Your Committee notes that Act 97, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, (Act 97), and Act 156, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, (Act 156), were passed by the Legislature and enacted into law to provide the Honolulu Symphony with a funding source for its operations, the State of Hawaii Endowment Fund (Fund).  An appropriation of $4,000,000 was made to the Fund, provided that these funds were matched by private funds or pledges, with income and capital gains from the Fund to be used for the Honolulu Symphony.  However, public testimony indicated that, though these funds were released by the Governor in December of 2006, they have not been transferred and deposited into the Fund.  A meeting was held in January of 2008 between state officials, the Honolulu Symphony Society, and the Honolulu Symphony Foundation where the parties involved gained an understanding of the matching requirements that must be fulfilled for the $4,000,000 in appropriated state funds to be transferred and deposited into the Fund. 

 

     In light of this information, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting, in the purpose section, the erroneous statement that funds from Act 97 and Act 156 have not been released to the SFCA, the administrative agency for the Fund;

 

     (2)  Voiding the appropriation contained in this measure if $4,000,000 in general funds are transferred and deposited into the Fund pursuant to Act 97, as amended by Act 156;

 

     (3)  Reducing the appropriation contained in this measure by the amount of funds in excess of $3,190,000 in general funds, if any, transferred and deposited to the Fund pursuant to Act 97, as amended by Act 156; and

 

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism & Culture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 3243, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 3243, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Tourism & Culture,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair