STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2812

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2858

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2858 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT OFFICE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish an environmental information management office within the Department of Health to, among other things, promote the use of environmental information systems and new management innovations.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Department of Transportation.  Written comments were received from the Department of Health - Environmental Health Administration and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that an environmental information management office has the potential to reduce the burden of the regulatory reporting process, increase accessibility and efficiency in data reporting, and facilitate effective coordination of environmental regulatory data functions.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Defining the term "department" to mean the Department of Health;

(2)  Replacing the term "Office of Information Management and Technology", which is not established in the Hawaii Revised Statutes, with the term "Chief Information Officer", which is established under section 27-43, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(4)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2858, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2858, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair