GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS 304A-101 – 304A-122
AGRICULTURE 304A-201 – 304A-205
CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION UNDER FEDERAL AID 304A-301 – 304A-304
INDEPENDENT AUDIT COMMITTEE 304A-321 – 304A-322

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes > Chapter 304A > Part I - System Structure

  • Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Appraisal: A determination of property value.
  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Authority: means the natural energy laboratory of Hawaii authority established by section 227D-2. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Bequest: Property gifted by will.
  • Board: means the board of directors of the authority established by section 227D-2 and any successor thereto. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Bonds: means special purpose bonds issued under this chapter and shall include notes, other instruments of indebtedness, and refunding bonds. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Codes and standards: means nationally recognized minimum requirements that shall be met for design and construction to safeguard life, property, and the general welfare. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 107-21
  • Commission: means the Hawaii climate change mitigation and adaptation commission. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 225P-2
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Concurrent resolution: A legislative measure, designated "S. Con. Res." and numbered consecutively upon introduction, generally employed to address the sentiments of both chambers, to deal with issues or matters affecting both houses, such as a concurrent budget resolution, or to create a temporary joint committee. Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the President/Governor and thus do not have the force of law.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Contractor: means any person furnishing construction for a public work under a contract with a governmental contracting agency, subcontractor, or any other person under a subcontract arrangement with any person who has a construction contract subject to this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 104-1
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Cost: means the total cost in carrying out all undertakings that the authority deems reasonable and necessary for the development of a project or research and technology park, including but not limited to the cost of studies, surveys, plans, and specifications, architectural, design, engineering, or any other special related services; the cost of site preparation and development, demolition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and improvement; the cost of financing the project or research and technology park from the date thereof to the estimated date of completion of the project or research and technology park as determined by the board; the cost of an allocable portion of the administrative and operating expenses of the authority related to the development of the project or research and technology park; and the cost of indemnity and surety bonds, premiums on policies of insurance, legal fees, and fees and expenses of trustees, depositories, and paying agents for the bonds, and for the issuance of letters of credit or other banking arrangements whether for the authority credit or a qualified person; all as the authority shall deem necessary. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Council: means the state building code council. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 107-21
  • county: includes the city and county of Honolulu. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-22
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Department: means the department of accounting and general services. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 107-21
  • Department: means the department of labor and industrial relations. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 104-1
  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • Director: means the director of labor and industrial relations of the State. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 104-1
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Donor: The person who makes a gift.
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Governmental contracting agency: means the State, any county and any officer, bureau, board, commission, or other agency or instrumentality thereof. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 104-1
  • Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
  • Hawaii state building codes: means the building codes and standards that the state building code council adopts under § 107-24. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 107-21
  • Hurricane resistant criteria: means the design criteria for enhanced hurricane protection areas that are capable of withstanding a five hundred-year hurricane event, as developed by the state department of defense for public shelter and residential safe room design criteria. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 107-21
  • Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. Source: FDIC
  • Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • Overtime compensation: means compensation based on not less than one and one-half times the laborers or mechanics basic hourly rate of pay plus the cost to an employer of furnishing a laborer or mechanic with fringe benefits as described in the definition of "wages"; provided that if the department determines that a prevailing wage is defined by a collective bargaining agreement, the overtime compensation shall be at the rates set by the applicable collective bargaining agreement. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 104-1
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • physical disability: means a physical impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 304A-101
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Project: means any combination of land and buildings and other improvements thereon for use in, but not limited to research, development, demonstration, processing, or manufacturing activities or enterprises utilizing or in support of the utilization of natural resources and geothermal energy which are located in a research and technology park and acquired, constructed, reconstructed, rehabilitated, improved, altered, or repaired by or on behalf of the authority. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Project agreement: means any lease, sublease, loan agreement, conditional sale agreement, or other similar financing contract or agreement, or any combination thereof entered into under this chapter by the authority, including the financing from the proceeds of bonds of a project or a research and technology park. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Public agency: means any office, department, board, commission, bureau, division, public corporation, agency, or instrumentality of the federal, state, or county government. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
  • Public work: means any project, including development of any housing pursuant to § 46-15 or chapter 201H and development, construction, renovation, and maintenance related to refurbishment of any real or personal property, where the funds or resources required or used to undertake the project are to any extent derived, either directly or indirectly, from public revenues of the State or any county, or from the sale of securities or bonds whose interest or dividends are exempt from state or federal taxes. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 104-1
  • Qualified person: means any individual, partnership, corporation, public agency, or any combination or association of the foregoing, possessing the competence, expertise, experience, and resources, including financial, personnel, and tangible resources, required for the purposes of a project and other qualifications as may be deemed desirable by the authority in administering this chapter and that enters into a project agreement with the authority. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • Real property: means lands, structures, and interests therein, and natural resources including water, minerals, and all things connected with land, including lands under water and riparian rights, space rights, air rights, and any and all other things and rights usually included within the term. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • Research advisory committee: means the research committee that is advisory to the board and is established by § 227D-4 and any successor thereto. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Research and technology park: means a tract of real property determined by the board as being suitable for use as building sites for projects engaged in research, development, demonstration, processing, or manufacturing activities or retail or commercial enterprises utilizing or in support of the utilization of natural resources or geothermal energy. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 227D-1
  • Sequester: To separate. Sometimes juries are sequestered from outside influences during their deliberations.
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • sister-state or province relationship: means a relationship between the State of Hawaii and the state or province or similar governmental or political subdivision of a foreign nation. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 229-1
  • State building construction: means any building construction project or program initiated by a state agency or requiring the use of state funds. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 107-21
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
  • Testate: To die leaving a will.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • university: refers to the University of Hawaii, unless otherwise required by the context. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 304A-101