STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1615-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   S.B. No. 2435

      S.D. 1

      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 Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2435, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INFORMATION ACCESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate an unspecified amount of funds for the Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind Division of the Department of Human Services to maintain a telephone-based audible information access service through a contract for services with a Hawaii affiliate of a qualifying national organization.

The Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind Division of the Department of Human Services, Disability and Communication Access Board, and several concerned individuals supported the measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind Division of the Department of Human Services to develop a program to charge a fee to enable individuals who are not blind, visually-impaired, or print-disabled to access media and television listings

by means of a touch-tone telephone, the Internet, or by downloading the information to a digital talking book or MP3 playing device;

     (2)  Deleting the condition that the Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind Division's contract for services be with a Hawaii affiliate of a qualifying national organization;

     (3)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2030, to promote further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2435, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2435, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair