STAND. COM. REP. NO.  653-16

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2416

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 2416 entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Repeal chapter 201N, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to the renewable energy facility siting process, due to lack of implementation;

 

     (2)  Authorize any employee hired by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) as staff for the renewable energy facility siting process before July 1, 2016, and transferred to another position within DBEDT as a result of this measure to retain the employee's exempt status with respect to laws on compensation and collective bargaining and require that the transferred employee not be appointed to a civil service position as a consequence of this measure;

 

     (3)  Require that an exempt employee transferred by this measure not suffer any loss of prior service credit, vacation or sick leave credits previously earned, or other employee benefits or privileges as a consequence of this measure;

 

     (4)  Authorize the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to prescribe the duties and qualifications of the transferred employee and fix the employee's salary without regard to laws on compensation and collective bargaining;

 

     (5)  Require that proceeds in the renewable energy facility siting special fund be deposited into the general fund and all records, equipment, machines, files, supplies, contracts, books, papers, documents, maps, and other personal and real property made, used, acquired, or held by the Energy Resources Coordinator for the renewable energy facility siting process be maintained by the Hawaii State Energy Office or transferred to another appropriate agency within DBEDT; and

 

     (6)  Preserve rights and duties matured, penalties incurred, and proceedings that began before July 1, 2016.

 

     DBEDT, the Office of the Auditor, the Pacific Agricultural Land Management Systems, and the Sierra Club of Hawaii testified in support of this measure.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2416 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair