STAND. COM. REP. NO. 183

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 55

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 55 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ADMINISTRATIVE RULES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require all state agencies to make the full text of their rules digitally accessible on the website of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in a searchable format.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Public First Law Center, and three individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

Your Committee finds that increasing accessibility and transparency in government to promote civic engagement is a crucial goal for the State. Administrative rules, which govern many aspects of daily life and business for residents, are not currently subject to a statewide system that allows the public to easily identify and review them. This measure will address this information gap by requiring the full text of each state agencies' rules to be displayed on the website of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in a digitally accessible, searchable format.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the implementation date to January 1, 2027, to afford state agencies with necessary preparation time;

(2) Specifying that the digitally accessible and searchable format must meet or exceed the most current standards of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to remove ambiguity and uphold best practices; and

(3) Inserting an effective date of January 1, 2525, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 55, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 55, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Government Operations,

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ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair