STAND. COM. REP. NO. 554

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1356

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1356 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE PLANNING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to improve the government and public's abilities to make informed decisions on various public policy and operational issues by enhancing the ability of the Office of Planning to manage and coordinate a Statewide Geographic Information and Data Integration Program.

     Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Creates a Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Special Fund to assist in the operation and maintenance of the Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Program;

     (2)  Clarifies the role that the Office of Planning has in maintaining and coordinating a statewide enterprise geographic information system;

     (3)  Appropriates $200,000 from the general fund to support the implementation of a geographic information system software enterprise license agreement; and

     (4)  Appropriates $200,000 from the general fund to be deposited into the Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Special Fund.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Agriculture; the Department of Health; the Office of Planning; and the Mayor, County of Kauai.

     The Office of Planning currently manages a statewide geographic information system that is used on a daily basis by a number of state agencies.  The current geographic information system server provides state agencies open access to over one hundred fifty geospatial layers that are available on the State's central geographic information system database.  This information is a helpful tool for state agencies to make informed decisions regarding policy making, long-term planning, operational issues, and emergency planning and response.

     Your Committee finds that additional support is needed for the geographic information system to be updated and expanded so that the system can serve more agencies and the public.  Providing funds to allow the Office of Planning to enter into a geographic information system software enterprise license agreement on behalf of all state agencies using geospatial technologies and data fulfills the intent of this measure, which is to improve the government and public's abilities to make informed decisions on various public policy and operational issues.

     Your Committee was concerned with the purposes the moneys in the Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Special Fund would be used for, especially with respect to investment earnings.  Your Committee requested the Office of Planning to clarify this language, and the Office of Planning responded with suggested clarifying amendments.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that investment earnings under the Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Special Fund are interest earned on the special funds balance, and that the special fund is not to be used as an investment fund;

     (2)  Allowing county agencies to have access to and share appropriate information on the geospatial information system; provided that the costs will be assessed by and paid to the State if the geospatial information services are utilized by the county agencies;

     (3)  Adding an appropriation section to allow the Office of Planning to expend an amount of $200,000 from the Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Special Fund;

     (4)  Replacing the effective date of the measure with July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion by the Committee on Ways and Means; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of style and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1356, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1356, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair