STAND. COM. REP. NO.  409-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 1983

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Culture & the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 1983 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE COLLECTION OF DEMOGRAPHIC DATA BY STATE AGENCIES, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to collect data that helps decision makers understand the needs and experience of different communities by disaggregating the collection of demographic data for native Hawaiians, each major Asian ethnic group, and each other major Pacific Islander group.  Additionally, this measure requires the data to be publicly accessible.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and two individuals testified in support of this measure.  The University of Hawai‘i System and Department of Education testified in opposition to this measure.  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting some examples of required demographic categories and tabulations including Vietnamese, Asian Indian, Laotian, Cambodian, Bangladeshi, Hmong, Indonesian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Thai, Fijian, and Guamanian to conform with current demographics in the State;

     (2)  Exempting from this measure demographic data collection for reports governed by federal government standards;

     (3)  Requiring the use of more specific categories and tabulations when mandated by the federal government;

     (4)  Deleting language requiring state agencies to update their data collection after the decennial United States Census for the year 2020 is publicly released;

     (5)  Allowing state agencies, boards, and commissions to adopt the use of categories and tabulations that are more specific than that required by this measure; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Culture & the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1983, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1983, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Culture & the Arts,

____________________________

JESSICA WOOLEY, Chair