STAND. COM. REP. NO.  985

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 900

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 900, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds for the operating and capital improvement budget of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to support programs that benefit Hawaiians and native Hawaiians.

     OHA testified in support of this bill.

     Due to the current economic situation facing the State of Hawaii, your Committee has reduced OHA's budget by 20 percent.  This results in a $2,428 reduction for other current expenses under the Office of the Trustees, a $293,468 reduction for other current expenses in Support Services, and a reduction of $938,934 in contracts for the Beneficiary Advocacy Program.  These amounts are for each of the fiscal years for the upcoming biennium and are the totals for both general and trust fund appropriations.

     In total, OHA’s budget is $2,469,659 in general fund appropriations and $5,810,847 in trust fund appropriations for each of the fiscal years of the upcoming biennium. 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 900, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 900, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair