REPORT TITLE:
Public Access


DESCRIPTION:
Appropriates $34,500 for a legislative streaming media pilot
project.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           1009
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC ACCESS.
 


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  Televised coverage of the state legislative
 
 2 sessions is an important source of information for citizen
 
 3 participation in public proceedings.  At present, some
 
 4 legislative sessions are available through the public broadcast
 
 5 project, but those are only available to people who have access
 
 6 to cable television.  The legislature must reach out in all
 
 7 feasible ways to assure that knowledge of the legislature's
 
 8 deliberations is as widespread as possible.  One alternate method
 
 9 of broadcasting legislative hearings to as many people as
 
10 possible is the publication of legislative events through video
 
11 and audio on the internet.  This process, calling streaming
 
12 media, is valuable in that it allows the public to access
 
13 legislative sessions whenever they want, not merely at set times.
 
14 All it requires is a standard dial-up connection to the internet,
 
15 and free software.
 
16      These streaming media programs can be made available
 
17 wherever computers are made available, such as in public
 
18 libraries, schools, youth centers, section centers, and other
 
19 public places.  It would increase public access at a very low
 

 
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                                     S.B. NO.           1009
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 cost to the State.
 
 2      The purpose of this Act is to appropriate $34,500 for a
 
 3 pilot streaming media project to allow legislative sessions to be
 
 4 broadcast in streaming media format via the internet.
 
 5      SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 6 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $34,500, or so much
 
 7 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, for a
 
 8 legislative audio streaming pilot project.
 
 9      SECTION 3.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
10 legislature for the purposes of this Act.
 
11      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1999.
 
12 
 
13                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________