Bill Text: HI SB2604 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Relating To Government Accountability.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-03-08 - Referred to LMG, FIN, referral sheet 36 [SB2604 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-SB2604-Amended.html

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THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2604
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018		S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that every year laws are enacted that require government departments, agencies, and offices to conduct new studies and audits and to report the findings and recommendations of those studies and audits to the legislature.  The volume of reports required each year and the number of reporting entities involved in creating those reports makes it difficult for the legislature to effectively track and review the required reports for purposes of accountability.  Therefore, it is necessary to establish a streamlined system in which the legislature can be accurately informed about which departments, agencies, and offices are and are not meeting their reporting requirements.

     The legislature also finds that the legislative reference bureau is already tasked with creating a report outlining the bills that require the submission of a report to the legislature.  The legislative reference bureau is therefore the appropriate entity to collect and manage more detailed information relating to required reports and the submission of those reports to the legislature each session.

     Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:

     (1)  Require the appropriate receiving elective officer of each chamber of the legislature to promptly notify the legislative reference bureau of the receipt of any report required by law to be submitted to the legislature or requested by legislative concurrent resolution;

     (2)  Require the legislative reference bureau to develop a spreadsheet informing members of the legislature on the status and content of all reports to be submitted to the legislature as required by law or requested by legislative concurrent resolution;

     (3)  Require the legislative reference bureau to inform the legislature of all annual and other reports required by law to be submitted to the legislature or requested by legislative concurrent resolution that were not timely submitted; and

     (4)  Require governmental agencies that submit reports to include certain information in their reports to facilitate the legislative reference bureau's timely reporting of the submission of those reports.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 21, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:

     1.  By amending its title to read:

"LEGISLATIVE [HEARINGS AND PROCEDURE] OPERATIONS"

     2.  By designating sections 21-1 to 21-19, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as "Part I. Legislative Investigating Committees".

     3.  By amending sections 21-1, 21-2, 21-6, 21-13, 21-15, and 21-19, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by substituting the word "part" wherever the word "chapter" appears, as the context requires.

     4.  By adding a new part to be appropriately inserted and to read:

"PART  .  GENERAL PROVISIONS

     §21-    Reports received by the legislature; notification to the legislative reference bureau.  Upon the receipt of any report required by law to be submitted to the legislature or requested by legislative concurrent resolution, the appropriate receiving elective officer of each chamber shall promptly notify the legislative reference bureau of the date of receipt of the report."

     SECTION 3.  Section 23G-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "[[]§23G-5[]]  Annual and other reports to be submitted to legislature; tracking, monitoring, reporting, coordination.  (a)  The legislative reference bureau shall develop a system to track and monitor the submission of reports to the legislature by executive agencies and the judiciary.  The system shall encompass all annual and other reports required by law to be submitted to the legislature, or requested by legislative concurrent resolution.

     (b)  For all annual and other reports required by law to be submitted to the legislature, or requested by legislative concurrent resolution, the legislative reference bureau shall create a spreadsheet detailing the following:

     (1)  The number of the Act or legislative concurrent resolution requiring the report;

     (2)  A description of the required contents of the report;

     (3)  If applicable, the amount of money appropriated for the report, or for a study that was the basis for the report, if the appropriation amount is clearly specified in the Act or legislative concurrent resolution or is made available by the agency required to submit the report or study, pursuant to section 93-16(a)(3);

     (4)  The date on which the report is due to the legislature; and

     (5)  The date on which the legislature received the required report, as provided to the legislative reference bureau pursuant to section 21-   .

The legislative reference bureau shall make available a copy of the spreadsheet to all members of the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session.

     (c)  A copy of all annual and other reports required by law to be submitted to the legislature, or requested by legislative concurrent resolution, shall be provided to the legislative reference bureau by the submitting government agency in accordance with section 93-16.

     (d)  No later than ten days after the convening of each regular session, the legislative reference bureau shall notify the legislature of all annual and other reports required by law to be submitted to the legislature, or requested by legislative concurrent resolution, that were not timely submitted."

     SECTION 4.  Section 93-16, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read as follows:

     "(a)  Notwithstanding any other statute, law, charter provision, ordinance, or rule to the contrary, whenever a government agency is required to submit a report to the legislature, the report shall [be]:

     (1)  [Available] Be available in printed form;

     (2)  Clearly identify the law or laws, or legislative concurrent resolution, that required or requested the report, as appropriate;

     (3)  Include the amount of money appropriated for the report or for a study that was the basis for the report, as appropriate;

     (4)  Include the date that the legislature established for the report to be submitted to it for review;

    [(2)  Submitted] (5)  Be submitted in printed form to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the legislative reference bureau library; and

    [(3)  Posted] (6)  Be posted on the designated central State of Hawaii website; or

    [(4)  Posted] (7)  Be posted on the Internet in an easily-located manner.

     (b)  If a government agency submits a report to the legislature that is a consolidation of reports mandated by law or requested by legislative concurrent resolution of that agency or of other agencies that are administratively attached to the government agency submitting the consolidated report, then the agency submitting the consolidated report shall also include:

     (1)  A listing of each mandated report that is being included in the consolidated report[; and] by clearly identifying the law or laws or legislative concurrent resolution, as appropriate, that required or requested the report;

     (2)  The specific time period covered by the particular government agency's report, if different from the time period covered by the consolidated report[.]; and

     (3)  The amount of money appropriated for the compiled report, broken down by cost for each report or study that is the basis for the report, as appropriate, that is included in the consolidated report."

     SECTION 5.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 6.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

Report Title:

Government Accountability; LRB; Reports

 

Description:

Requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to develop a spreadsheet informing members of the legislature on the status and content of all reports to be submitted to the legislature as required by law or requested by legislative concurrent resolution.  Requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to inform the legislature of all annual and other reports required by law to be submitted to the legislature or requested by legislative concurrent resolution that were not timely submitted.  Requires reporting entities to submit a copy of all reports submitted to the legislature to the Legislative Reference Bureau.  (SD2)

 

 

 

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