STAND. COM. REP. NO.617

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1449

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1449 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require that notices for videoconferencing of board meetings subject to the open meetings laws include the format of the meeting and the necessary arrangements that must be made by members of the public wishing to present testimony.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office Information Practices. The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation supported the bill and proposed an amendment.

Your Committee finds that videoconferencing facilitates participation in board meetings not only by board members for discussion and quorum purposes, but also by members of the public residing statewide. Videoconferencing also results in travel time and cost savings.

Your Committee further finds, however, that videoconferencing is being under utilized due to existing law that deems meetings terminated and proceedings nullified if both video and audio communication cannot be maintained. For this reason, your Committee amended the bill by:

(1) Setting out § 92-3.5 in its entirety;

(2) Amending § 92-3.5(c) to allow the continuation of a meeting if teleconferencing is established at all remote sites; and

(3) Clarifying that a meeting is terminated if all remote sites cannot establish audio communication.

Your Committee notes that the Chair of the Committee on Science, Art, and Technology concurs with the amendments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1449, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1449, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair