Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2445, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow state and county boards and commissions subject to the Sunshine Law to conduct meetings by telephone conference.

The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation and three members of the Maui County Council testified in support of this bill. The High Technology Development Corporation testified in support with reservations. The Office of Information Practices testified in support but with some concerns.

Your Committee finds that visual communication enhances open decision-making because the public can observe, for example, members who are present during discussion and deliberation, but who make no oral remarks.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting provisions that would allow boards and commissions to opt to conduct meetings by telephone conference rather than by video conference. Recognizing technical difficulties that may arise during the course of a video conference, however, your Committee retained a provision permitting a board to vote to continue a video conference with audio communication only in the event that video communication cannot be maintained throughout the meeting.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2445, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2445, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.