STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2192

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2353
                                        S.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
2353 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION
     PRACTICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to make the Office of
Information Practices (OIP) a permanent agency within the
legislature.

     Your Committee finds that appropriate public access to
government records is an important public right, and the OIP
plays a crucial role in ensuring public access to records of all
governmental entities.  Your Committee further finds that the
public perception of OIP's impartiality and its effectiveness
will be enhanced by placing OIP as a permanent agency within the
legislative branch of government, instead of in the executive
branch, where it currently resides.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Hawaii State Ethics Commission, Common Cause Hawaii, the League
of Women Voters of Hawaii, and four individuals.  Testimony
commenting on this measure was submitted by OIP.  Testimony in
opposition to this measure was submitted by one individual.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
measure by:


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2192
                                   Page 2


     (1)  Placing OIP within the Ombudsman's office, instead of
          attaching it independently to the legislature;

     (2)  Adding a provision transferring OIP personnel and
          equipment to the Ombudsman's office; and

     (3)  Making a technical, non-substantive change for the
          purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
2353, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2353, S.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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