STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3397

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 30

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 30, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO AMEND THE UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM ACT,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the United States Congress to amend the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995.

 

Specifically, the measure urges Congress to:

 

     (1)  Apply the Act's cost estimation requirements to federal legislation that alters the conditions for receiving existing federal grant assistance;

 

     (2)  Expand the scope of cost estimates to include indirect costs imposed by new federal legislation and rule making;

 

     (3)  Remove the exception for mandates issued by independent regulatory agencies; and

 

     (4)  Require cost estimates to be issued within six months after the adoption of urgent federal regulations that are issued without prior notice.

 

     Your Committee finds that unfunded federal mandates place unreasonable demands on limited state resources.  Your Committee also finds that the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 was adopted to limit these mandates by requiring accurate cost estimates of federal legislation and rulemaking.  However, loopholes in the original legislation have prevented full implementation of the Act according to its intent.

 

     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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 30, S.D. 1, and recommends its adoption.

 

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

 

		____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair