STAND. COM. REP. NO. 674-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1600

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1600 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OPEN MEETINGS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify that board meetings to discuss and act on investigative group's report must occur at least six days after the meeting at which the results of the group's investigation were presented to the board.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Information Practices; Public First Law Center; and League of Women Voters of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that in some instances, boards have scheduled back-to-back meetings, first for the investigative group to report to the board, and second for the board to act on the report. This measure would require that a board shall only schedule a meeting for deliberation and decision-making on a report by an investigative group six days after the investigative group presented the report of its findings and recommendations to the board.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1600, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1600, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair