STAND. COM. REP. NO. 373

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 613

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 613 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LEGISLATIVE ACCESS THROUGH REMOTE TESTIMONY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require each house of the Legislature to establish by its rules, procedures that enable the Legislature to use remote testimony at legislative committee hearings, enable the public to present oral testimony at legislative committee hearings through remote testimony, and accommodate persons with disabilities through remote testimony; and

(2) Define "remote testimony".

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i State Council on Developmental Disabilities, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations, and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 and temporary rules enabled the public to participate in the legislative process via live, real-time remote testimony, thus circumventing geographic challenges specific to the State. Expanded public access through the use of technology also provides persons with disabilities another means of accessibility to participation in policy processes. Therefore, your Committee finds that remote testimony should be made permanent.

Your Committee also finds that allowing remote testimony has proven to be an immeasurable asset in allowing members of the public from the neighbor islands to participate through in-person testimony and to engage committee members in questions and answers without the burden of lost time and expense in having to travel to the Hawaii State Capitol to be able to testify in person.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 613 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means.

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

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ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair