STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1571

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 1645

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1645, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MASS TRANSIT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to create a mass transit planning account to hold a portion of the fuel taxes to fund the development of a mass transit work plan, including a fixed guideway mass transit system.

Specifically, the measure:

(1) Establishes within the State's general fund, a mass transit planning account (Account) with a cap of $3,600,000 to be funded by a portion of the state gasoline tax;

(2) Requires the Director of Finance (Director) to transfer $600,000 from the Account to a separate account of the highway fund established for each county with a population greater than 500,000;

(3) Requires the county to use, upon receipt from the Director, the $600,000 to develop and finalize a mass transit work plan that includes the use of a fixed guideway mass transit system; and

(4) Requires the Director to transfer the remaining $3,000,000 from the Account to the county to execute an environmental impact study and financial work plan, if the county council approves the mass transit work plan.

Your Committee has amended the measure by:

(1) Moving the proposed mass transit planning account from the State's general fund to the state highway fund;

(2) Expanding the uses of the state highway fund to include mass transit projects;

(3) Reaffirming a county's authority to raise fuel taxes on their own volition by stating that a county with a population greater than five hundred thousand may raise its fuel tax for the sole purpose of funding mass transit projects;

(4) Authorizing the counties to establish an ad valorem tax on motor vehicles to assist in the funding of mass transit projects;

(5) Requiring that, prior to expending any moneys appropriated under this measure, a county must first use all other moneys from existing revenue sources, including federal moneys, prior to expending state funds;

(6) Adding four appropriation sections that authorize the transfer of moneys from the state highway fund to the mass transit special account and from the mass transit special account to the appropriate county highway fund;

(7) Deleting references to specific appropriated amounts and leaving the amounts unspecified;

(8) Changing the effective date from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2050; and

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

Your Committee believes that the amended measure provides the counties with a means by which to begin the process of planning for mass transit systems.

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. 1645, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1645, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair