STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1303

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 699

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Tourism & International Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 699, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP MUSEUM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure that Bishop Museum, designated as the State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Cultural History (Bishop Museum), is adequately funded to support its operational activities by:

(1) Beginning with fiscal biennium 2021-2023 and each fiscal biennium thereafter, requiring the Governor to include in the Executive Budget no less than $2,000,000 per fiscal year as a recurring cost to be allocated to Bishop Museum; and

(2) Appropriating $2,000,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2019-2021 to support the work of Bishop Museum, including collections care and student learning programs.

The Bishop Museum, Kamehameha Schools, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Inpeace, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, Society for Hawaiian Archaeology, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Bishop Museum Association Council, and several concerned individuals supported this measure. The Department of the Attorney General and Department of Budget and Finance submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing all provisions relating to the mandate that the Governor include in the Executive Budget at least $2,000,000 per fiscal year as a recurring cost to be allocated to Bishop Museum;

(2) Clarifying that the $2,000,000 appropriation for each year of fiscal biennium 2019-2021 to support the work of Bishop Museum shall include the hiring of necessary staff and shall be expended by the Department of Budget and Finance, rather than Bishop Museum;

(3) Changing its effective date to upon its approval, to encourage further discussion; and

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

It is the intention of your Committee that the $2,000,000 appropriation under this measure shall not be in addition to the base budget amount allocated to Bishop Museum under the Executive Budget and any funds appropriated together with this measure's $2,000,000 appropriation shall not exceed $2,000,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2019-2021.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism & International Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 699, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 699, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Water, Land, & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Tourism & International Affairs,

____________________________

RICHARD H.K. ONISHI, Chair