CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 179-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2782

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2782, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATED TO ELECTRONIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to require the Office of Enterprise Technology Services to develop multilingual accessibility standards and appropriate funds to establish an unspecified number of program manager positions within the Office of Enterprise Technology Services.

Your Committee on conference finds that electronic information technology is rapidly replacing print media, emphasizing the importance of ensuring access to technology for all residents to participate fully in state programs, services, and activities. Providing equal access to state services and information for individuals with limited English proficiency upholds fundamental fairness principles and when diverse communities can fully engage with state resources, it promotes entrepreneurship, workforce participation, and consumer spending, thereby benefiting the economy. Therefore, this measure will provide clear technical guidance related to public access to vital information and documents and standardize performance criteria and technical requirements across the State's enterprise technology systems.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an appropriation amount of $100,000 for the establishment of one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent program manager position within the Office of Enterprise Technology Services;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2024; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2782, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2782, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ AMY A. PERRUSO Co-Chair	____________________________ HENRY J.C. AQUINO Chair
____________________________ SCOT Z. MATAYOSHI Co-Chair	____________________________ DRU KANUHA Co-Chair
____________________________ RACHELE LAMOSAO Co-Chair