STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2824

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3219

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. 3219 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SUNSHINE LAW,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the Sunshine Law to exempt minors from being required to state their presence in public meetings.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Information Practices and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Sunshine Law's newly effective remote meetings provision requires a board member participating from a nonpublic location to state who, if anyone, is present at the same location. This provides the public with information as to who the board member is with. However, there are times when a board member may have their minor children with them during a remote board meeting. Your Committee further finds that children's privacy rights prevail over the public's right to know. This measure will protect the privacy and identity of minors that are with a board member during a meeting.

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. 3219 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair