STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3149

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2111

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2111, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC NOTICES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow government agencies under certain circumstances to publish public notices on an official website as an alternative to a newspaper.  

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Department of Taxation, Department of Transportation, Department of Land and Natural Resources, City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting, Hawaii Tourism Authority, and Hawaii State Association of Counties.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board, Oahu Publications Inc., and three individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, Office of Information Practices, Common Cause Hawaii, and AARP Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee finds that improving government efficiency without compromising public engagement and transparency is ideal.   This can be accomplished by authorizing executive agencies the option to publish certain public notices on official websites in lieu of in printed newspapers.  This measure will make the public notification process for certain notices more effective and efficient.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Incorporating a technical amendment recommended by the Office of Information Practices;

 

     (2)  Incorporating a recommendation proposed by the Disability and Communication Access Board specifying that the government agency shall post documents in accessible formats on an accessible official website;

 

     (3)  Specifying that the government agency shall provide a disclaimer in any public notice from January 1, 2023, through June 30, 2023, that states that the government agency may begin to post notices online after July 1, 2023; and

 

     (4)  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 Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2111, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2111, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

 

 

 

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair