CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 118

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2021

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1191

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sirs:

 

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1191, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE,"

 

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Establish the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program to award grants to applicants to extend deployment of infrastructure used to provide broadband service to unserved and underserved areas of the State;

 

     (2)  Amend the Hawaii Technology Loan Revolving Fund to rename it the Hawaii Broadband Infrastructure Fund, change the types of funds deposited into the fund, and increase the expenditure ceiling; and

 

     (3)  Authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds for the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program.

 

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying the eligibility requirements for an applicant under the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program by:

 

          (A)  Requiring an applicant to commit to paying a minimum of sixty percent, rather than eighty percent, of the total project costs out of the applicant's own funds;

 

          (B)  Removing references to the State's portion of the total project costs; and

 

          (C)  Removing the requirement for an applicant to attest that the project does not jeopardize the eligibility of federal funding;

 

     (2)  Renaming the Hawaii Technology Loan Revolving Fund the Hawaii Broadband Infrastructure Special Fund, rather than the Hawaii Broadband Infrastructure Fund;

 

     (3)  Deleting language that would have allowed funds received from a county to be deposited into the Hawaii Broadband Infrastructure Special Fund;

 

     (4)  Deleting language that would have authorized the issuance of general obligation bonds for the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program;

 

     (5)  Appropriating $5,000,000 out of the funds received by the State from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2 (Section 9901), for the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program;

 

     (6)  Establishing the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;

 

     (7)  Requiring the Governor, upon the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint a Strategic Broadband Coordinator to head the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office;

 

     (8)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2021; and

 

     (9)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1191, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1191, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

 

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

 

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

 

____________________________

GLENN WAKAI

Chair

 

____________________________

SEAN QUINLAN

Co-Chair

____________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI

Co-Chair

 

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON

Co-Chair

 

 

____________________________

TY J.K. CULLEN

Co-Chair