STAND. COM. REP. NO. 785

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 902

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 902, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HIGH TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to update various provisions relating to the High Technology Development Corporation.

     More specifically, this measure:

(1)  Changes the name of the High Technology Development Corporation to the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation;

(2)  Replaces statutory references to "high technology" with "technology"; and

(3)  Repeals the laws that established the Hawaii Software Service Center.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, the High Technology Development Corporation, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that the High Technology Development Corporation was established in 1983 to facilitate the development and growth of Hawaii's commercial high technology industry.  Three decades later, what was once referred to as "high technology" is now simply referred to as "technology."  Accordingly, your Committee believes that the name of the Corporation whose mission is to encourage the growth of technology in the State should be updated to more accurately reflect its mission.

     Additionally, your Committee finds that the Hawaii Software Service Center within the High Technology Development Corporation has been unfunded and inactive for at least ten years, and thus should be repealed as it is obsolete.

     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. 902, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

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JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair