Report Title:

Public Access

 

Description:

Appropriates $34,500 for a legislative streaming media pilot project.

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1447

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO PUBLIC ACCESS.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Televised coverage of the state legislative sessions is an important source of information for citizen participation in public proceedings. At present, some legislative sessions are available through the public broadcast project, but those are only available to people who have access to cable television. The legislature must reach out in all feasible ways to assure that knowledge of the legislature's deliberations is as widespread as possible. One alternate method of broadcasting legislative hearings to as many people as possible is the publication of legislative events through video and audio on the internet. This process, calling streaming media, is valuable in that it allows the public to access legislative sessions whenever they want, not merely at set times. All it requires is a standard dial-up connection to the internet, and free software.

These streaming media programs can be made available wherever computers are made available, such as in public libraries, schools, youth centers, section centers, and other public places. It would increase public access at a very low cost to the State.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds for a pilot streaming media project to allow legislative sessions to be broadcast in streaming media format via the internet.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $34,500 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002 for a legislative audio streaming pilot project.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the legislature for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.

INTRODUCED BY:

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