STAND. COM. REP. 1039

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1449

S.D. 1

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 Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1449, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC MEETINGS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to:

(1) Require meeting notices for videoconference public meetings of state or county boards or commissions subject to the Sunshine Law to specify that videoconference format will be available to members of the public wishing to present testimony and indicate arrangements necessary to participate by videoconference; and

(2) Allow videoconference public meetings to continue after video transmission is broken if telephone contact can be effected.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Information Practices, the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, and several concerned individuals.

 

Your Committee finds that advance notice of videoconference format will enhance public participation at meetings by videoconference. Allowing a meeting to continue after video communication breaks down, however, hurts disconnected participants who no longer can read visual display nor observe the silent conduct of those in attendance.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by deleting provisions that would allow videoconference meetings to continue without video connection.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1449, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1449, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

 

____________________________

ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair