STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1827-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 3109

S.D. 1

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 3109, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to give practical effect to the intent of the Legislature that funds appropriated in Act 279, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022 (Act 279), be available for expenditure until June 30, 2025, by lapsing previously appropriated funds and reauthorizing funds for fiscal year 2024-2025.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance; Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and Hoʻomana Pono, LLC. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Tax Foundation of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that the companion to this measure, H.B. No. 2420, H.D. 2 (Regular Session of 2024), which was previously passed by the House, is a preferable method to give practical effect to the Legislature's intent for the appropriation in Act 279.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its contents and inserting the contents of H.B. No. 2420, H.D. 2, a measure that:

(A) Deposits certain unexpended or unencumbered funds appropriated through Act 279 that are set to lapse on June 30, 2024, into an Act 279 Special Fund and appropriates funds out of the Act 279 Special Fund; and

(B) Provides that funds from the appropriation out of the Act 279 Special Fund that are unencumbered as June 30, 2026, shall lapse as of that date;

(2) Changing the effective date to June 29, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

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 S.B. No. 3109, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3109, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair