STAND. COM. REP. 3117

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 2142

H.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2142, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESS PRACTICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to protect from public disclosure business and trade secrets and other confidential proprietary information contained within records pertaining to tenants and prospective tenants of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, Office of Information Practices, and Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (laboratory).

Your Committee finds that currently the leasing function of the laboratory requires tenants to provide detailed business plans to evaluate their potential for successful tenancy. Due to the nature of this business, the information provided is proprietary, and prospective and current tenants may potentially be harmed by public disclosure of this sensitive information. Your Committee believes that this proprietary information should not be subject to disclosure, and this measure will protect this type of information from normal sunshine law provisions.

The effect of this measure is to protect the confidentiality of trade secrets and proprietary information of private companies expending private funds and who are tenants or prospective tenants of the laboratory. This assurance would encourage potential tenants to invest in Hawaii by locating at the laboratory.

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 H.B. No. 2142, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair