STAND. COM. REP. NO. 196

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1465

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1465 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXPENSES OF THE LEGISLATURE, THE AUDITOR, THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU, THE OMBUDSMAN, AND THE ETHICS COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the expenses of the legislative branch.

Specifically, this measure appropriates:

     (1)  $8,776,876 to the Senate;

     (2)  $12,022,144 to the House of Representatives;

     (3)  $2,947,349 to the Office the Auditor;

     (4)  $2,800,000 to be deposited into the Audit Revolving Fund;

     (5)  $6,300,000 from the Audit Revolving Fund to the Office of the Auditor to conduct or complete audit functions;

     (6)  $3,440,969 to the Legislative Reference Bureau;

     (7)  $1,216,170 to the Office of the Ombudsman; and

     (8)  $1,008,895 to the Office of the State Ethics Commission.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Ethics Commission, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Office of the Auditor.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

     Your Committee finds that this measure appropriates sufficient funds to defray the necessary expenses in fiscal year 2015-2016 of the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Office of the Auditor, the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the State Ethics Commission.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1465, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair