STAND. COM. REP. NO.1432

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.C.R. No. 144

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 Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 144 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE FORMATION OF A WIRELESS ENHANCED 911 INTERIM WORKING GROUP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a wireless enhanced 911 interim working group.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Honolulu Police Department, T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint. The Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that it is in the public interest to ensure adequate ongoing funding to support enhanced 911 service. Therefore, your Committee supports this measure as a means to bring all interested parties together, including the State, counties, wireless communications carriers, and consumers, to propose an ongoing funding source from wireless subscribers who represent a growing group of users of the enhanced 911 system.

Your Committee amended this measure to remove the DOH from the working group. All parties agreed that the subject matter of this working group is not within the DOH's area of expertise. Your Committee also designated the Consumer Advocate as chair of the working group.

In addition, your Committee included a member of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on the working group. As the agency most likely to administer any new funding system, your Committee finds that the inclusion of the PUC is appropriate.

Your Committee also inserted a provision to request that the Department of the Attorney General provide assistance as necessary.

Finally, your Committee amended this measure to specify that LRB will be responsible for drafting the final report of the working group for submission to the Legislature.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 144, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 144, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations,

____________________________

CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair