STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2485

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2144

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 2144 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRONIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require:

(1) That all electronic information technology developed, purchased, used, or provided by a state entity be made accessible to persons with disabilities;

(2) The Office of Enterprise Technology Services, in consultation with the Disability and Communication Access Board and a working group comprising stakeholders, to develop and publish electronic information technology accessibility standards to be implemented by all state entities; and

(3) A review and revision of the standards every three years after the date of publication, or as needed, to reflect advances or changes in information technology.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, Executive Office on Aging, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, Hawaii State Committee of Blind Vendors, Disability and Communication Access Board, and nine individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of Enterprise Technology Services and one individual.

Your Committees find that standards are necessary to ensure disability access to electronic information technology, which is key for independence and equality to people with disabilities in the State. According to testimony from the Disability and Communication Access Board, because the term "electronic information technology" is so broad, it would take longer than six months after the effective date of this measure to develop and publish electronic information technology accessibility standards to be implemented by all state entities.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the six-month time frame for the Office of Enterprise Technology Services to develop and publish accessibility standards;

(2) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2144, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2144, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Government Operations,

________________________________ SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair