CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 62

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2015

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1214

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

       C.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir and Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1214, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE STATE-COUNTY FUNCTIONS WORKING GROUP,"

 

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 measure is to appropriate moneys from the general fund to the Office of the Auditor to support the state-county functions working group established by Act 174, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014.

 

Your Committee on Conference finds that the state-county functions working group was established by Act 174, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014, to evaluate the division of duties and responsibilities between the State and counties relating to the provision of public services.  Your Committee on Conference further finds that Act 174, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014, provided that reimbursements would be made to the working group members by the Auditor, based upon the Auditor's request to the Legislature in 2015 and 2016 for an appropriation equal to the reimbursements made and expected to be made.  Reimbursements for travel and report production costs for fiscal year 2014-2015 were $150,000, and it is estimated that the fiscal year 2015-2016 costs for consultant services, meetings, and final report production will increase to $165,000.  Your Committee on Conference believes that implementation of this measure will help the state-county functions working group to fulfill its duties and responsibilities.

 

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Specifying that the funds appropriated shall come from the transient accommodations tax revenues allocated to the counties pursuant to section 237D-6.5(b)(3), Hawaii Revised Statutes, instead of from the general revenues of the State;

 

     (2)  Changing the appropriation amount from an unspecified sum to $165,000, and allocating $15,000 to pay for the actual expenses incurred and expected to be made by the working group and $150,000 to procure consultant services to assist the working group; and

 

     (3)  Changing the effective date from July 1, 2050, to July 1, 2015.

 

     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. 1214, 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. 1214, 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

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair

 

____________________________

SCOTT Y. NISHIMOTO, Co-Chair

____________________________

RONALD D. KOUCHI, Co-Chair

 

____________________________

LYNN DECOITE, Co-Chair