Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Legislative Management, to which was referred S.B. No. 629, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to promote citizen involvement in state government by providing an additional means of public access to legislative proceedings. This bill appropriates funds to enable legislative proceedings to be broadcast in streaming media format over the Internet.

Olelo Community Television, The League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Hawaii Pro Democracy Network, and Employers' Chamber of Commerce testified in support of this bill.

Currently, only those with access to cable television are able to receive broadcasts of legislative proceedings. Streaming media or webcasting can expand the viewing audience by broadcasting video and audio signals of legislative proceedings over the Internet. This technology also allows recordings of live webcasts to be archived so that users can listen to or view a file at their convenience.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Legislative Management that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 629, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.