Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1605 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require government agencies to designate a Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA) compliance officer who would be responsible for compliance with the UIPA, train employees, and obtain certification from the Office of Information Practices that the agency is in compliance with the UIPA.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Information Practices (OIP), Hawaii Pro-Democracy Initiative, the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and the Honolulu Community-Media Council. The Honolulu Police Department opposed the measure.

Your Committee finds that agency compliance with the UIPA is important in furthering democracy in Hawaii. An open government inspires public confidence that government is conducting business in an ethical manner. Testimony received from the OIP, however, evidences that government employees lack a reasonable understanding of the basic requirements of the UIPA. Therefore, your Committee believes that the provisions in this bill will go a long way toward improving public access to government information.

Pursuant to testimony received by the OIP, however, your Committee amended the bill by:

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. 1605, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1605, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.