STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2351

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2782

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2782 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PERSONAL PRIVACY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to specify that certain government records that are maintained by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands are not required to be disclosed to the public or open for inspection pursuant to public records requests.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Hawaiian Civic Club of Honolulu, Hawaiian Affairs Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Ho‘omanapono Political Action Committee, and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Information Practices and The Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has received requests under the Uniform Information Practices Act for homestead application files and leases that include personal contact information, genealogies, finance and loan documents, and other sensitive information. Your Committee further finds that pursuant to title 10, Hawaii Administrative Rules, "personal data received or recorded by the department shall be held in absolute confidence and no release of information shall be made without written approval of the individual concerned." Your Committee believes that codifying an exemption from public disclosure of certain government documents will allow the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to better protect the sensitive information of its beneficiaries.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2782 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Hawaiian Affairs,

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MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair