HB792 clarifies the statutory framework for Hawaii’s Office of the Legislative Analyst. The bill keeps the office under the administration of the legislative committee, confirms that the committee appoints the legislative analyst to a four-year term, and specifies that removal may occur only by a three-fourths vote of the committee and only for cause. It also preserves the committee’s authority to set the analyst’s salary.
The bill further states that the legislative analyst may hire clerical and technical staff as needed to perform the office’s duties. It changes the language governing employee benefits so that the analyst and staff may participate in state employee benefit programs, rather than being expressly entitled to them. The measure is set to take effect on January 1, 2491, which appears to function as a placeholder or delayed effective date in the text provided.
Impact
HB792 would amend Section 21F-6 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, affecting the governance and employment terms of the Office of the Legislative Analyst. The practical legal effect is to clarify appointment, removal, staffing, and benefit eligibility provisions for this legislative office, while leaving the office’s basic structure intact. It primarily affects the legislative committee overseeing the office, the legislative analyst, and any clerical or technical employees hired by the office.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was received favorably, with the Senate Government Operations Committee passing it 5-0 with amendments. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate opposition. Overall, the bill appears to have been treated as a technical or administrative clarification measure rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
There is little visible contention in the materials provided. The only potentially substantive change is the shift from employees being expressly entitled to state benefit programs to being permitted to participate in them, which could matter for employment administration, but no opposition is documented. The removal standard for the legislative analyst—three-fourths vote and only for cause—also reinforces independence and may have been a point of drafting clarification rather than dispute.