STAND. COM. REP. NO.  314-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 2151

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Development & Business, to which was referred H.B. No. 2151 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL SPACE CENTER FOR EXPLORATION SYSTEMS AND NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION LASER COMMUNICATIONS GROUND STATION INITIATIVE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to stimulate economic growth and continue to develop the State's emerging aerospace sector by appropriating funds, with matching fund requirements, to support a joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems engineering assessment and study of the proposal to establish a laser optical communications ground station in Hawaii.

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Paragon Space Development Corporation, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, Near Earth LLC, Shackleton Energy Company, Inc., International Ventures Associates, JAMSS America, Inc., and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, and the University of Hawaii at Hilo testified in support of the intent of this measure.

     Aerospace technology research and development is a rapidly growing industry that has much potential. Technological developments in the aerospace industry may also have widespread applications on Earth.

     Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration embarked on the development of innovative and advanced technologies to support laser communications between spacecraft and Earth which has been necessitated by the ever increasing data rate requirements from more sophisticated instruments on spacecraft, requirements that radio frequency communications currently used cannot meet.  In a detailed statistical analysis of weather patterns conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, it was determined that Hawaii would be the best location for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's first operational laser communications station in a planned global network of laser communication ground stations.  This initiative will not only impact spacecraft communications but will also provide opportunities for improvements in Hawaii's broadband and fiber optic infrastructure which will have a positive effect on the State's economic future.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriation for the study and assessment from $500,000 to an unspecified sum;

     (2)  Changing its effective date to January 20, 2050, to facilitate further discussion; and

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

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $500,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to support a joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems engineering assessment and study of a proposal to establish a laser optical communications ground station in Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Business that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2151, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2151, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair