STAND. COM. REP. NO. 381

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 1370

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor & Government Operations, to which was referred H.B. No. 1370 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE STATE ARCHIVES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Expand the uses for the State Archives Preservation and Long-term Access Special Fund from the preservation of and long-term access to government records only, to include photographic, phonographic, and audio-video records and collections that have a unique historical value or are related to Hawaii's diverse ethnic and indigenous cultures;

(2) Establish additional funding sources for, and authorize additional expenditures of funds from, the State Archives Preservation and Long-term Access Special Fund; and

(3) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System, Department of Accounting and General Services, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that the archiving and preservation of important records of Hawaii's history is in the public interest. By expanding the uses of the State Archives Preservation and Long-term Access Special Fund and providing for additional sources of revenue for the special fund, the state archives will be better positioned to preserve, digitize, and provide public access to Hawaii's unique and irreplaceable documentary heritage records.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Based on testimony from the Department of Accounting and General Services, deleting legislative appropriations for special archival projects of unique historic value and federal grant monies for ethnomusicology and indigenous culture as sources of revenue for the special fund; and

(2) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

Your Committee notes that, subsequent to decision making on this measure, the Department of Accounting and General Services advised that its testimony concerning the deletion of two sources of revenue noted above was erroneous and that it would correct its testimony should your Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1370, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1370, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Government Operations,

____________________________

SCOT Z. MATAYOSHI, Chair