STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1762

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.C.R. No. 131

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Revitalization, Business, & Military Affairs, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 131 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF VETERANS' SERVICES TO DIRECT ITS POLICY ADVISORY BOARD ON VETERANS' SERVICES TO FORMULATE VETERAN ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA OF STATEWIDE APPLICABILITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request the Office of Veterans' Services to direct its Advisory Board on Veterans' Services to formulate veteran eligibility criteria that could be implemented in all state and county laws that provide health, education, human services, housing, loan financing, business development, and labor benefits.

     Before the hearing of this measure, your Committee distributed a proposed H.D. 1 that replaced the substance of H.C.R. No. 131 with provisions requesting the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA and Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) to conduct a study of telecommunications and broadband infrastructure inventory in Hawaii.

     DCCA and DBEDT commented on the proposed H.D. 1.

     Upon consideration, your Committee has replaced the substance of H.C.R. No. 131 with the substance of the proposed H.D. 1, which has been amended to:

(1)  Require the Hawaii Broadband Commissioner (Commissioner) rather than DCCA and DBEDT, to perform the study;

(2)  Provide that if legislation establishing the Commissioner is not enacted in 2009, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is requested to perform the study and report to the Legislature;

(3)  Request DCCA and DBEDT to assist the Commissioner or PUC, as the case may be, in performing the study; and

(4)  Conform the title to these amendments.  As amended, the title reads, "HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII BROADBAND COMMISSIONER TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE INVENTORY."

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Revitalization, Business, & Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 131, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 131, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Revitalization, Business, & Military Affairs,

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair