STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1055-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2583

      S.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 S.B. No. 2583, S.D. 1, 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 appropriate funds, on a matching fund basis, for an engineering assessment of a proposal to establish a laser optical communications ground station in the State to be conducted jointly by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems.

The Councilmember representing Council District 3 on the Hawaii County Council; Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems; JAMSS America, Inc.; International Ventures Associates; Ferraro Choi; and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; University of Hawaii at Hilo; Near Earth LLC; Shackleton Energy Company, Inc.; and a concerned individual testified in support of the intent of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that 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.

     Your Committee finds that NASA is developing innovative and advanced technologies to support laser communications between spacecraft and Earth.  These efforts have been necessitated by the ever increasing data rate requirements from more sophisticated instruments aboard spacecraft, which will soon surpass NASA's ability to support.

     In a detailed statistical analysis of weather patterns conducted by NASA, it was determined that Hawaii would be the best location for NASA's first operational laser communications station in a planned global network of laser communication ground stations.  Not only would this initiative benefit spacecraft communications, but it would also have a positive effect on the State's economic future by providing opportunities for improvements in Hawaii's broadband and fiber optic infrastructure.

     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 S.B. No. 2583, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading 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