STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2810

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2752

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2752, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage state agencies and departments to perform energy-efficiency retrofitting of their facilities.

 

     Specifically, this measure creates a sub-fund under the green energy market securitization loan fund to be used as a revolving line of credit for state agencies and departments to finance energy-efficiency measures.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority; Ulupono Initiative; and OCC Legislative Priorities Committee, Democratic Party of Hawai'i.

 

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Tax Foundation of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee finds that although the Hawaii green infrastructure special fund is already being used to finance the installation of energy-efficient lighting and other energy-efficiency measures in public schools, this measure will expand this use of the special fund to other state agencies and departments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying that the sub-fund shall be created under the Hawaii green infrastructure special fund;

 

     (2)  Codifying requirements and procedures for state departments or agencies applying for financing from the sub-fund;

 

     (3)  Clarifying that a department or agency shall meet with the public benefits fee administrator of the Public Utilities Commission prior to the launch of the project planning phase;

 

     (4)  Changing the appropriation and the amount of the revolving line of credit to unspecified amounts;

 

     (5)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, for the purpose of facilitating further discussion on the measure; and

 

     (6)  Making technical nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     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 S.B. No. 2752, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2752, S.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair