CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 102

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2015

RE:    H.B. No. 290

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 290, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the operating budget and capital improvement program budget of the Judiciary for the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium.

Your Committee on Conference approves $341,556 in general funds in fiscal year 2015-2016 and $701,052 in general funds in fiscal year 2016-2017 for the scheduled pay increase to judges as recommended by the 2013 Commission on Salaries.

Your Committee on Conference has provided positions and funding that support the specialty courts of the Judiciary, including:

     (1)  9.00 positions and $50,934 in general funds in fiscal year 2015-2016 and $96,168 in general funds in fiscal year 2016-2017 for Hale Ho‘omalu Juvenile Detention Facility to provide continued support for our youth;

     (2)  1.00 position and $67,323 in general funds in fiscal year 2015-2016 and $106,116 in general funds in fiscal year 2016-2017 for the Veterans Court to supplant expiring federal grant money; and

     (3) $600,000 in fiscal year 2015-2016 for purchase of service contacts for civil legal services.

Your Committee on Conference provided $55,000,000 in fiscal year 2015-2016 for the new judiciary complex in Kona.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 290, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 290, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair	____________________________ KARL RHOADS, Co-Chair
____________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Co-Chair	____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE, Co-Chair