STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1549

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 162
                                        H.D. 1
                                        S.D. 2




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. 162, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled: 

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to clarify the scope of the
subpoena powers of state and county legislative bodies by
removing obsolete references to the loyalty oath that was a part
of the repealed Chapter 85, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     Your Committee finds that the measure is intended to remove
an unintended anomaly in the law.  The proposed amendment intends
to prevent a situation where, read literally, the law providing
legislative bodies the authority to subpoena executive officials
would not apply to any current executive officials.  Your
Committee notes that the original law, by limiting the
legislative subpoena power to apply only to officials required to
take a loyalty oath, prevented low-level public employees from
being subject to subpoena.

     Your Committee has amended the measure by adding provisions
that enhance public service by agencies of the legislative
branch, by:

     (1)  Providing funds to the public access room to increase
          its capability to provide public access, education, and
          support to citizens;

 
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     (2)  Funding a legislative media streaming pilot project to
          allow public access to legislative hearings on the
          Internet;

     (3)  Transferring responsibility for statutory publications
          from the Lieutenant Governor to the Legislature to
          increase public access to these publications;

     (4)  Funding replacement of the antiquated computer system
          of the office of the ombudsman to better service
          citizen complaints;

     (5)  Providing initial funding for the Office of the
          Legislative Analyst to begin conducting a review and
          analysis of state economic conditions and fiscal
          matters; and

     (6)  Providing funds to the Legislative Reference Bureau to
          study the feasibility of establishing and fostering a
          biotechnology and high technology industry 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
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B.
No. 162, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B.
No. 162, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

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



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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