STAND. COM. REP. NO. 229-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 1739

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1739 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds to establish an open source software pilot project within the Department of Education (DOE) to determine policy on the purchase and use of open source software applications within the DOE.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from DOE, the Hawaii Open Source Education Foundation, and a concerned teacher.

Your Committee finds that state agencies are among the largest local consumers of computer software. Your Committee further finds that open source software is a low- to no-cost option for procuring software programs or utilities that can be tailored to suit an agency's needs.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the appropriation amount to $1 to facilitate further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of style and clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1739, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1739, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

 

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair