STAND. COM. REP. 93

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 473

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 473 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to require:

(1) The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to maintain a web site to include:

(A) All decisions and orders issued by PUC;

(B) A list of all open dockets;

(C) A list of all upcoming PUC meetings; and

(D) A list of all pending deadlines;

and

(2) Individuals with applications before PUC to submit all documents filed with PUC on a compact disc in portable document format (PDF) or any other electronic format prescribed by PUC.

Life of the Land and Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance submitted testimony in support of this bill. PUC and Verizon Hawaii submitted testimony in support of the intent of this bill.

Your Committees find that PUC needs to update its methods of making information available to the public and receiving applications. It is currently very difficult for the public to obtain information of PUC proceedings in a timely manner, reducing the public's ability to provide input.

Your Committees have amended this bill by:

(1) Requiring only applications to be filed with the PUC to be submitted via electronic format;

(2) Clarifying that the application document and not the compact disc be filed in PDF format;

(3) Deleting the requirement that PUC take action on an application upon the posting of a substantially complete filing on the PUC web site;

(4) Deleting the requirement that the PUC's website include a list of all pending deadlines; and

(5) Specifying that confidential materials not be subject to the requirements of the bill.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Consumer Protection and Commerce that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 473, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 473, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Consumer Protection and Commerce,

 

____________________________

KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Chair

____________________________

HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair