Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Science, Arts, and Technology and Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 83 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request a status report on the current use of open source software in state government and the adoption of a state policy supporting use of open source software in state government operations.

Comments on this measure were received from Microsoft Corporation.

Your Committees find that state government agencies are among the largest consumers of commercial computer software within the State. However, some of the applications of commercial computer software may not necessarily be compatible with government functions, operations, and needs, and the software may also contain programming glitches. Open source software provides the opportunity for state agencies to procure, at little or no cost, software programs or utilities that may be modified by the agency to more closely meet the agency's needs.

Your Committees further find that with the growth of the Internet, there has been a rapid expansion in the sharing of information technology to the point where the philosophy of open source software is being promoted by the nonprofit Open Source Initiative.

Your Committees have amended this measure in the first resolved paragraph by requesting the Department of Accounting and General Services to adopt a state policy on the use of open source software applications within government agencies, rather than "supporting" such software applications.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Science, Arts, and Technology and Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 83, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 83, S.D. 1.