Report Title:
Legislative Proceedings; Webcast; Appropriation
Description:
Appropriates funds for video archived and indexed audio streams of legislative proceedings over the Internet. (SD2)
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2806 |
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TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006 |
S.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to legislative proceedings on the internet.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that it is crucial to the decision-making of the legislature to have citizen involvement and input into the legislative process and that one of the most effective means of promoting this is through public access. The legislature has demonstrated its commitment to the principle of public access to the legislative process by creating programs such as the public access room, the legislative broadcast project, and the legislative website that encourage education and support for citizen involvement in the legislative process.
Televised coverage of state legislative sessions and hearings is an important source of information for citizen participation in public proceedings. At present, some legislative sessions are available through the public broadcast project, but those are only available to people who have access to cable television and are available only at certain broadcast times. One method of broadcasting legislative hearings to as many people as possible is the broadcast of legislative events through video and audio on the Internet.
This process, called streaming media or webcasting, takes audio or video signals of an event and converts them into a digital file. The file is routed through computer servers for broadcast over the Internet. With a webcasting player, software that is available for free, users can see or listen to the file on their computers. This technology allows messages to be broadcast on all islands and beyond, and recordings of live webcasts can be archived so that users can listen to or view a file whenever they wish. These streaming media, or webcasting, programs can also be made available wherever computers are made available, such as public libraries, schools, youth centers, section centers, and other public places. This technology would increase public access at a low cost to the State.
In addition, the indexed video and audio streams broadcast of legislative sessions and hearings will assist citizens on Oahu who wish to testify before the legislature but whose time is limited. Instead of spending an entire morning at the legislature waiting for their bill to be heard, citizens can follow the progression of the hearing over the Internet while at home or work and can decide when to go and testify.
The purpose of this Act is to further enhance public access by funding legislative archived and indexed video and audio streaming for legislative sessions and hearings to be broadcast in streaming media format on the Internet, which include broadcasts from the house and senate chambers, house and senate conference rooms, and the capitol auditorium.
SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, for a video archived and indexed stream and two archived and indexed audio streams of legislative proceedings over the Internet, which include broadcasts from the house and senate chambers, house and senate conference rooms, and the capitol auditorium.
(1) Senate $
(2) House of Representatives $
SECTION 3. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the senate and the house of representatives for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.