STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2113

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2110

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2110 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PRESERVATION OF HAWAII'S MOVING IMAGES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Designate ‘Ulu‘ulu:  The Henry Ku‘ualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawai‘i as the state archive for moving images;

     (2)  Establish a special fund to be administered by the University of Hawaii; and

     (3)  Establish a tax check-off to provide funding for the archive.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from ‘Ulu‘ulu:  The Henry Ku‘ualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawai‘i; Juniroa Productions, Inc.; Archival Media Consulting; Pacific Islanders in Communication; Mike May Media Services; 4 Miles LLC; Na Maka o ka ‘Aina; and twenty-nine individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Taxation, and Tax Foundation of Hawaii.

     Your Committees find that Hawaii has been making movies and television shows since Thomas Edison came to Hawaii in 1908, yet over eighty percent of the State's media history has been lost due to the tropical climate and benign neglect.  Entire libraries of film and video have been thrown away because of deterioration, changes in recording formats, and concerns for space.  ‘Ulu‘ulu provides a solution using archival best practices, software tools, and state-of-the-art technology found nowhere else in the Pacific region.  Currently the archive houses over 10,000 hours of recorded video and film ranging from the first commercial interisland flight in 1927, volcanic eruptions from the 1940s and 1950s, the 1978 Constitutional Convention, and over thirty years of news, sports, and programming from KGMB, including the popular children's show, Checkers and Pogo.

     Your Committees commend the efforts of all those involved with ‘Ulu‘ulu:  The Henry Ku‘ualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawai‘i, for their collaborative work in preserving these important moments in Hawaii's history.

     Your Committees note that there has also been extensive fundraising in support of the archive, and that ‘Ulu‘ulu would not be dependent on state funding if designated the state archive for moving images.  Your Committees have heard concerns that the use of an income tax write-off may not be the most appropriate means of ensuring additional funding for the archive, and recommend further discussion on this point as this measure moves through the legislative process.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2110 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Education,

____________________________ JILL TOKUDA, Chair

____________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair