STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3453

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 83

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Technology, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 83 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TO IMPROVE THE STATE OF HAWAII'S OPEN DATA PORTAL BY INCREASING AND EXPANDING THE DATA SETS AVAILABLE ON THE OPEN DATA PORTAL, CENTRALIZING ALL OPEN DATA SETS OF ALL STATE DEPARTMENTS ONTO THE OPEN DATA PORTAL, AND CONTINUALLY UPDATING THE DATA SETS FOR ACCURACY AND RECENCY OF PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE DATA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge:

(1) The Office of Enterprise Technology Services (OETS) to improve the State's Open Data Portal by:

(A) Increasing and expanding the data sets available on the Open Data Portal;

(B) Centralizing all open data sets of all state departments onto the Open Data Portal;

(C) Continually updating the data sets for accuracy and recency of publicly accessible data; and

(D) Studying and assessing the successful open data portals of other states and major municipalities; and

(2) The heads of all state departments to work with OETS to centralize their open data sets to the State's Open Data Portal.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Technology Services, Transform Hawaiʻi Government, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that access to empirical data is critical for decision-makers to make informed decisions. Accordingly, existing law requires each executive department to use reasonable efforts to make appropriate and existing data sets maintained by the department electronically available to the public through the State's Open Data Portal. Your Committee finds, however, that there are certain issues with the State's existing Open Data Portal that prevent access to uniform, accurate, and current empirical data of the State. By ensuring access to this critical data, this measure promotes transparency and supports the ability of decision-makers to make informed, evidence-based decisions that efficiently provide targeted and tailored solutions to suit the needs of the State's residents.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor and Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 83 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor and Technology,

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HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair