Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 785, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow public meetings by video teleconferencing to continue even if the video connectivity is interrupted or stopped.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation. The Office of Information Practices testified in opposition to the measure.

This measure allows public meetings conducted by video teleconferencing to continue even after video connectivity is interrupted or lost, provided that visual aids are made available to or may be readily transmitted to other board members and no more than fifteen minutes has elapsed before these transmissions take place. This measure also permits a public board to consider, in the event videoconference facilities are unavailable, letting board members participate by teleconferencing as long as the teleconferencing does not impact compliance with quorum or voting requirements of that board.

Your Committee has amended this measure by removing the provision allowing a public board to consider, in the event videoconference facilities are unavailable, participation by teleconferencing as long as the teleconferencing does not impact compliance with quorum or voting requirements of that board.

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. 785, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 785, S.D. 2.