STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2636
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2735
S.D. 2
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Twenty-Ninth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2018
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2735, S.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION PRACTICES,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to enhance the independence and stability of the Office of Information Practices.
More specifically, this measure:
(1) Establishes the Director of the Office
of Information Practices' term for six years and thereafter until a successor
is appointed;
(2) Sets the Director's salary to an amount equivalent
to the salary of a tier-one deputy department director;
(3) Requires that the Director be appointed pursuant
to a nomination by the Governor and the advice and consent of the Senate,
rather than be appointed directly by the Governor; and
(4) Makes an appropriation to the Office of
Information Practices for implementation of this measure.
Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of Information Practices and the Hawaii State Ethics Commission.
Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest and the Hawaii Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Your Committee finds that making the Office of Information Practices' Director's appointment subject to the advice and consent of the Senate would ensure independence from undue political influence. Additionally, your Committee believes that setting the Director's term and salary equal to that of the heads of other governmental agencies would achieve parity.
Your Committee has
amended this measure by:
(1) Changing the Director of the Office of
Information Practices' salary to make it the same as the salary of the Director
of Health;
(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2018;
and
(3) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for
the purposes of clarity and consistency.
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. 2735, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2735, S.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,
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________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair |