Bureau of the Budget

Corporate body

Bureau of the Budget

1925-1960

The Bureau of the Budget was established by Act 56, SLH, in 1925.

In 1925, the Governor and the Legislature recognized the need to establish a personnel classification system and a standard salary schedule for the territorial civil service. The personnel classification system would define classes of occupations, list the skills required for levels within each class, and establish comparability among classes to ensure that equally demanding jobs received equal pay. The standard salary schedule would provide ranges of pay with a hiring rate and a maximum rate. The classification system and the salary schedules would help eliminate favoritism and nepotism within the civil service by providing for competitive appointment to jobs. Since the Legislature was unable to agree on a process for establishing the system, in 1927, the Governor directed the Bureau of the Budget to prepare and administer to territorial employees a questionnaire that would produce data for the development of a personnel classification system for the territorial civil service.

In 1929, the Bureau of the Budget published, “Report of the Director of the Bureau of the Budget on the Classification of Personnel,” using data from the surveys. In 1933, the Bureau published a similar report, this time using data collected by the Bureau of Governmental Research.

In 1933, the Supplies Division of the Bureau was established by Act 148. In 1941, the chairmanship of the Board of Disposal was transferred to the Director of the Bureau of the Budget by Act 127, from the Territorial Auditor. Act 264, SLH 1951, transferred functions of the Insurance Commissioner concerning risk to territorial property to the department.

Act 1, SLH 1959, Second Special Session, transferred the functions of the Bureau of the Budget to the Department of Budget and Review, but excluded insurance management, surplus property management [Board of Disposal] and central purchasing functions [Supplies Division], which were transferred to the Department of Accounting and General Services.

The Bureau, headed by a Director, was authorized to:

1. Prepare the budget and any supplemental or deficiency estimates in compliance with rules and regulations prescribed by the Governor; and assemble, correlate, revise, reduce or increase the estimates of the executive departments or agencies;
2. Conduct detailed studies of executive departments when directed to do so by the Governor. Studies were to enable the Governor to determine what changes may be necessary to existing organization, activities, and methods of business of the departments; the appropriations therefor; the assignment of particular activities to particular services; or the regrouping of services;
3. Furnish aid and information at the request of any committee of either house of the legislature;
4. Access and examine books, documents, papers or records of the executive departments and agencies to secure information when requested by the Governor;
5. Accept claims for refunds, reimbursements or other payments for consideration by the Legislature; and
6. Supervise and direct the determination and treatment of all risk pertaining to territorial property, personnel, and operations; formulate and direct a program for the reduction of risks by use of technical personnel and facilities of the territory; and insure each exposure to loss by the purchase of insurance (1951-)

The Supplies division was responsible for the purchase of and accounting for governmental supplies and equipment for the territorial executive departments, boards, commissions and offices of the government having the care and custody or control of any territorial property (1933-1960).

The Director of the Bureau chaired the Board of Disposal (1941-1960). The Board of Disposal, established in 1917, had the power and discretion to grant or refuse permission to sell, exchange or dispose of territorial property.

Session Laws of Hawaii, 1925, Act 56
Session Laws of Hawaii, 1933, Act 148
Session Laws of Hawaii, 1941, Act 127
Session Laws of Hawaii, 1951, Act 264
Session Laws of Hawaii, 1959, Act 1

The bureau was headed by a director.

Created on 2001-12, G. Vergara-Bautista

• English

Memo, dated July 17, 1927, Territorial Departments, Budget, Director of, 1925 & 1926, from Governor’s Records [GOV-6]
RLH, 1935. Chapter 18
RLH, 1955. Chapters 12, 35, 36, and 134
SLH, 1925. Acts 55 and 56
SLH, 1933. Act 148
SLH, 1963. Act 114
SLH, 1959. Second Special Session. Act 1
SLH, 1941. Act 127
SLH, 1951. Act 264

2001-12, G. Vergara-Bautista: Created
2020-11-23, Joel Horowitz: Entered into AtoM