STAND. COM. REP. NO. 217

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 646
                                        S.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Government Operations and Housing, to
which was referred S.B. No. 646 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:
     
     The purpose of this measure is to reduce the cost of copying
government records from fifty cents to twenty-five cents.

     Testimony in favor of this measure was received from the
Department of Accounting and General Services.  Testimony opposed
to this measure was received from United Public Workers AFSCME
Local 646 AFL-CIO.

     Your Committee finds that government records must be
accessible and affordable to the public.  Currently, the price
for copying government records is fifty cents.  Your Committee
further finds that lowering the copying price to six cents will
allow government records to be more accessible to the public, yet
still cover the cost to copy.

     Your Committee adopted the recommendation of the Legislative
Reference Bureau contained in their 1998 report entitled, "The
Price of Access Fees for Copies of State Administrative Agency
Rules," and amended the measure to reduce the cost of copying
government records to six cents per copy.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Government Operations and Housing that is attached

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 217
                                   Page 2


to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of S.B. No. 646, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B.
No. 646, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and
Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Government
                                   Operations and Housing,



                                   ______________________________
                                   ROD TAM, Chair

 
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