STAND. COM. REP. NO.377

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 1666

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1666 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to create the Hawaii School-level Minor Repairs and Maintenance Revolving Fund (Fund) to serve as an alternative means of financing small-scale repair and maintenance projects at public schools. The bill also allows state taxpayers to designate $2 of their income tax credit to be paid over to the Fund.

The Lieutenant Governor and the Hawaii Government Employees Association supported this bill. The Department of Education and Department of Accounting and General Services supported the intent of this bill. The Department of Taxation opposed the bill.

Your Committee finds that many public schools in Hawaii are in a serious state of disrepair. Broken fixtures and lighting, peeling paint, and other unsightly and sometimes dangerous conditions exist on many public school grounds. This bill would provide another source for funding small-scale school repair and maintenance projects, and would place the additional moneys for such projects at the discretion of school principals.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the Fund from a revolving fund to a special fund;

(2) Requiring that moneys designated by taxpayers to be deposited into the Fund be made from taxpayers' income tax credits instead of from their income tax liabilities; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1666, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1666, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

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

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair