STAND. COM. REP. NO.  500

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.B. No. 1509

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Revitalization & Business, to which was referred H.B. No. 1509 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT RECORDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to increase transparency in government procurements by:

     (1)  Providing that government purchasing information required to be disclosed under the freedom of information law includes bid schedules, contract awards, and any addendums and amendments thereto; and

     (2)  Requiring the information to be posted on the contracting agency's publicly available website within one business day of availability.

     The Hawaii Laborers-Employers Cooperation & Education Trust, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and Hawaii Laborers' Union testified in support of this measure.  The Office of Information Practices and Pacific Resource Partnership supported the intent of this measure.  The Department of Accounting and General Services and the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services of the City and County of Honolulu opposed this measure.

     Your Committee finds that by making information on government purchases more widely available to the public, this measure seeks to promote transparency, trust, and competition in government procurement processes.  However, concerns were raised regarding the amount of time and resources necessary for government agencies to post purchasing information on a website within one business day of availability. 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring contracting agencies to post purchasing information on their websites within thirty business days, rather than one business day, of availability; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Revitalization & Business that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1509, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1509, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair