STAND. COM. REP. NO. 581

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 523

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 523, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

 

Deputy Director of the Department of Transportation

 

G.M. No. 523

JADE BUTAY,

for a term to expire 12-3-2018,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by the nominee and finds Jade Butay to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to be Deputy Director of the Department of Transportation.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Jade Butay from the Office of the Governor; Department of Budget and Finance; Department of Taxation; Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Department of Transportation Services, City and County Of Honolulu; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO; Capitol Consultants of Hawaii, LLP; Young Brothers, Limited; Laborers' International Union of North America Local 368; Nursing Advocates & Mentors, Inc.; National Association of Filipino American Associations, Region 12; Hawaii Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust; Filipino Coalition for Solidarity; Filipino Coalition for Solidarity; Filipino American Citizens League; General Contractors Association of Hawaii; Filipinos for Affirmative Action; Building Industry Association of Hawaii (BIA-Hawaii); GA Morris, Inc.; Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority; and twenty-five individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that Mr. Butay received a Master of Business Administration from Babson College and a Bachelor of Business Administration with Distinction, majoring in Finance and Accounting, from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  He speaks Ilocano, Tagalog, and Spanish.

 

     Prior to being nominated to serve as the Deputy Director of the Department of Transportation, Mr. Butay served as the Deputy Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.  He also served as the Deputy Director for Administration for the Department of Transportation; Congressional Aide to United States Congressman Neil Abercrombie; and Budget Analysis and Legislative Coordinator at the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.  He also has extensive experience in the construction industry, consulting, and management.

 

     Your Committee notes that in response to your Committee's questionnaire, Mr. Butay stated that his greatest strength is that he can mobilize a team to set high expectations and meet its goals and objectives, and he does so with efficiency, flexibility, and good humor.  He is a good listener and will take into consideration input from others.  He is not hesitant to make difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions after he has weighed all the factors.  Mr. Butay believes the Department of Transportation needs to correct weaknesses that impede its progress to improve the way it delivers the benefits of transportation in the State.  Mr. Butay testified that this can be done by promoting a culture of openness, improving communication, and encouraging collaboration among the Department's divisions.  His vision for the Department of Transportation is to keep the traveling public safe and secure while increasing their mobility, as well as to contribute to the State's economic growth.  The modernization of the airports and harbors and the maintenance and preservation of existing highway systems is the top budget priority.

 

     Your Committee notes the testimony of one department director who worked with Mr. Butay, that Mr. Butay ensured that all required financial statements, work papers, and documentation relating to the State's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report were provided to the auditors and the Department of Accounting and General Services in accordance with the State's required deliverables schedule.  According to this director, "Jade has always been responsive and professional to these critical requests in his capacity at the Department of Transportation and Department of Labor and Industrial Relations".

 

     Your Committee believes that the Department of Transportation will benefit greatly from Mr. Butay's extensive experience and knowledge.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair