HB1138 SD1

Report Title:

Annual and Other Reports; Submission to Legislature

 

Description:

Requires the legislative reference bureau to track and monitor submission of annual and other reports to the legislature. Requires agencies to post an electronic copy of its report on a central state website. (SD1)

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1138
TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO SUBMISSION OF REPORTS TO THE LEGISLATURE.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that at present, it has no means by which to systematically track and monitor the submission of reports that are required by law or legislative request. While it might not be difficult to determine whether a particular report was submitted, there is no way to ascertain compliance by agencies as a whole.

The purpose of this Act is to improve legislative oversight over the executive and judicial branches of government by establishing a system through which the legislature and the public will be better able to track and monitor the submission of annual and other reports.

SECTION 2. Chapter 1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§1-   Publication and distribution of reports. (a) Notwithstanding any other statute, law, charter provision, ordinance, or rule to the contrary, whenever a government agency is required to submit a report to the legislature, the report shall be:

(1) Available in printed form;

(2) Submitted in printed form to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the legislative reference bureau library; and

(3) Posted on the designated central State of Hawaii website; or

(4) Posted on the Internet in an easily-located manner.

(b) If a government agency submits a report to the legislature that is a consolidation of reports mandated by law of that agency or other agencies that are administratively attached to the government agency submitting the consolidated report, then the agency submitting the consolidated report shall include:

(1) A listing of each mandated report that is being included in the consolidated report; and

(2) The specific time period covered by the particular government agency's report if different from the time period covered by the consolidated report.

(c) For purposes of this section, "government agency" means the judiciary and each department, board, commission, or officer of the State or any of its political subdivisions."

SECTION 3. Chapter 23G, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§23G- Annual and other reports to be submitted to legislature; tracking, monitoring, reporting, coordination. The legislative reference bureau shall develop a system to track and monitor the submission of reports to the legislature by executive agencies and the judiciary. The system shall encompass all annual and other reports required by law to be submitted to the legislature, or requested by legislative resolution."

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.