STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1415

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 154
                                        H.D. 1
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B.
No. 154, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC TELEVISION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide for the orderly
transfer of the licenses, assets, responsibilities, and functions
of the Hawaii Public Broadcasting Authority to the Hawaii Public
Television Foundation.

     The transfer of public television in Hawaii from a state
authorized authority with a board appointed by the Governor to a
private, not-for-profit organization qualified under section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code is an important step for
the continuation of public television in the State.  The
community-based system of the new Hawaii Public Television
Foundation will support the educational, cultural, and historical
contributions of non-commerical public television programming.

     Your Committee finds that this transfer will continue the
creative and financial health of public television in Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your

 
a                                                     HB154 SD1
 
 
 
                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1415
                                   Page 2


Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
154, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
a                                                     HB154 SD1