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Legislative agencies and ombudsman back HB1440; LRB outlines staffing and IT needs
Summary
Witnesses including the state ombudsman, the Legislative Reference Bureau director and the state auditor endorsed HB1440 and described staffing and IT needs at the LRB; the committee approved the measure unamended.
The Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs heard testimony in support of HB1440, receiving statements from the state ombudsman, the Legislative Reference Bureau and the state auditor before advancing the bill unamended.
Robin Masanaga, the state ombudsman, told the committee she stood on her written testimony in support of the bill.
Charlotte Carter Yamauchi, director of the Legislative Reference Bureau, said the bureau “stands in strong support of this bill” and described staffing requests. Yamauchi said the bureau would like to reestablish its systems office as a full division and requested an administrator, an IT position, and a systems/software position to support LRB operations. She said the bureau has budgeted for other positions but is currently unable to hire all needed staff.
State Auditor Lehi Kondo testified his office supports the bill insofar as it funds the auditor’s work. Kondo said the auditor’s office is “a really valuable resource for the legislature,” described two audits that had recently started (a Farm to School program audit and an audit of leasing of mooring slips at state harbors), and said his office would like to produce more work for the legislature given adequate resources.
A representative of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission submitted written testimony and indicated availability to answer questions. Committee members asked the Legislative Reference Bureau about vacant positions; Yamauchi said the bureau does have vacancies and reiterated the specific IT and administrative positions sought.
Committee leadership put the recommendation to pass HB1440 unamended. With no further discussion recorded in the transcript, the committee adopted the recommendation and advanced the measure.
