STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1988-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 3252

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 3252, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Impose a cap on the costs charged for the reproduction of certain government records;

(2) Waive the cost of duplication of government records provided to requestors in an electronic format;

(3) Impose a cap on costs charged for searching for, reviewing, and segregating digital records; and

(4) Provide for a waiver of fees when the public interest is served by a digital record's disclosure.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i, and Hawaii Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Defense, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Design and Construction of the City and County of Honolulu. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Department of Budget and Finance, Employees' Retirement System, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Office of Information Practices, Honolulu Police Department, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and two individuals.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Including an appropriation in an unspecified amount for two full-time equivalent permanent positions within the Office of Information Practices; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3252, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3252, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair