CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 184

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2007

RE:    H.B. No. 1083

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1083, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HIGH TECHNOLOGY,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this bill is to support the growth of Hawaii's high technology business sector by appropriating funds to:

(1)  Allow the High Technology Development Corporation to  negotiate a lease with the developers of a life sciences research complex in Kakaako for laboratory and office space for a state-operated high technology incubator and innovation center;

(2)  Help Hawaii's small high technology businesses compete more successfully for federal funds by continuing funding for the Hawaii Small Business Innovation Research Grant and Hawaii Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Programs (Grant Programs); and

(3)  Establish a follow-on funding program to help Hawaii‑based small businesses commercialize successful research and development projects initially funded through the Hawaii Technology Development Venture or the National Defense Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Removing the provisions concerning the Kakaako high technology incubator and the Grant Programs;

     (2)  Inserting an appropriations of $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007-2008 for the follow-on funding program;

     (3)  Deleting the project oversight responsibilities of the National Defense Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences;

     (4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2007; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that the follow-on funding program will help Hawaii-based high technology companies that have already successfully performed research and development funded by the federal government, to move their innovations from concept to final commercialization.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1083, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1083, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair	____________________________ KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Co-Chair
____________________________ SHAN S. TSUTSUI, Co-Chair	____________________________ KEN ITO, Co-Chair
	____________________________ MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Co-Chair