Hawaii House Bill HB1440

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/25
• Refer: 1/27/25
• Report Pass: 2/5/25
• Engrossed: 2/7/25
• Refer: 2/10/25
• Report Pass: 2/19/25
• Enrolled: 2/27/25
• Chaptered: 3/13/25
• Passed: 3/13/25

Caption

Making Appropriations To Provide For The Expenses Of The Legislature, The Auditor, The Legislative Reference Bureau, The Ombudsman, And The Ethics Commission.

Summary

HB1440 is a fiscal appropriations bill that funds the operating expenses of the Hawaii Legislature and several legislative support and oversight agencies for fiscal year 2025-2026. It provides general fund appropriations for the Senate and House of Representatives, including session and interim expenses, legislative information system costs, and public broadcasting of legislative proceedings. The bill also funds the Office of the Auditor, the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the State Ethics Commission, and includes a separate appropriation for accrued vacation and vacation transfer payouts for employees leaving those offices. The bill also makes a formal constitutional declaration that the appropriations in the measure will further exceed Hawaii’s general fund expenditure ceiling for fiscal year 2024-2025. It states that the excess is justified because the appropriations are necessary to serve the public interest and meet the needs addressed by the act. The measure includes provisions governing interim spending approvals, audit requirements for legislative accounts, a per diem rate for official legislative travel abroad, and a lapse provision returning unspent balances to the general fund at the end of the fiscal year.

Impact

HB1440 primarily affects state budget law and the annual operating appropriations for core legislative institutions and oversight bodies. It authorizes specific general fund spending, creates a deposit into the audit revolving fund, and allows spending from that fund for audit functions, while also directing how and when certain legislative and agency expenses may be paid. The bill does not create new regulatory programs or amend substantive policy statutes beyond budget administration, but it does temporarily expand spending authority above the constitutional expenditure ceiling for the covered fiscal year.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was broadly supported, at least in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where it passed unanimously 12-0 and without amendment. That vote indicates little visible opposition in committee and a generally favorable view of the appropriations package. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded debate to suggest broader controversy in the materials provided.

Contention

The main point of contention inherent in the bill is fiscal rather than policy-based: it authorizes spending that exceeds the state’s general fund expenditure ceiling, which can draw scrutiny even when justified as serving the public interest. Potential concerns may also center on the size of the appropriations for legislative operations, the auditor’s funding structure, and the use of public funds for legislative broadcasting and travel abroad. However, the provided record does not show any specific objections from legislators, agencies, or the public.