STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2715

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2573

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Higher Education and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 2573 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII BOARD OF REGENTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require all public meetings of the Board of Regents to be recorded in digital video format, webcast live, and archived and made available to the public.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaii.

Your Committees find that it is in the State's interest for the University of Hawaii to provide mechanisms for the general public to engage meaningfully in the meetings of the Board of Regents. One such mechanism would be for the Board of Regents to follow the example of the Board of Education and begin webcasting their meetings live and archiving those recordings on their website. Your Committees further find that the University of Hawaii is in the process of doing so, as it also considers both the technological requirements and its web accessibility obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Adding a section with a brief analysis of recent judicial activity on the topic of web accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act;

(2) Requiring that livestreaming of audio and the archiving on its website recordings of all Board of Regents and Board of Regents standing committee meetings begin by May 1, 2020;

(3) Requiring that livestreaming of audio include video of Board of Regents meetings by September 1, 2020; and

(4) Requiring the Board of Regents to move expeditiously to ascertain its obligations and best practices that should be implemented in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act in regard to the accessibility of livestreaming of Board of Regents and Board of Regents standing committee meetings.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2573, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2573, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education and Technology,

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair

________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair