STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3388

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 2194
                                        H.D. 2
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B.
No. 2194, H.D. 2, entitled: 

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to enhance public access to the
legislative process.

     In particular, this bill:

     (1)  Appropriates funds for a legislative media streaming
          pilot project to allow public access via the Internet;

     (2)  Appropriates funds to establish a pilot program to
          provide childcare so that parents of young children can
          participate in the legislative process; and

     (3)  Transfers the responsibility for the sale and
          distribution of all legislative publications from the
          Lieutenant Governor to the Legislature.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
bill by deleting its contents and replacing it with language from
S.B. No. 2354, S.D. 1, which your Committee reviewed earlier this

 
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session.  As amended, this bill appropriates the following sums
for fiscal year 2000-2001:

     (1)  $34,500 for a legislative audio streaming pilot project
          to allow the public to access legislative events online
          through video and audio on the Internet;

     (2)  $13,200 for a second full-time staff person for the
          Legislative Reference Bureau Public Access Room to
          serve the increased needs and demands of citizens for
          legislative access and related services while
          maintaining high quality of services; and

     (3)  An unspecified amount for a childcare pilot project to
          enable parents of young children to testify at state
          legislative hearings.

     In addition, this bill transfers the responsibility for the
sale and distribution of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, along with
the journals of the Senate and the House of Representatives, from
the Lieutenant Governor to the Legislature.  Moneys received from
the sale are to be paid into the Hawaii legislative publications
special fund.

     This bill also requires the joint legislative access
committee to make recommendations to the Senate President and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives on the transition of
control over the sale, distribution, storage, and other ancillary
concerns related to the Legislature's assumption of control of
legislative publications.  In addition, the joint legislative
access committee may enter into agreements with the Lieutenant
Governor, the Legislative Reference Bureau, and other public or
private entities to ensure the efficient transfer of control and
storage of legislative publications.

     Finally, this bill appropriates funds to purchase hardware
and software to upgrade the legislative internal computer
network, to be expended by the Senate and the House of
Representatives.

     Your Committee agrees with the intent of this bill, and
finds that it will help to ensure greater public access to the
legislative process, instill greater public confidence in the
Legislature, and assist in increasing the efficiency and
streamlining of legislative operations and functions.


 
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     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.
2194, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2194, H.D.
2, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                 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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