HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

71

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the high technology development corporation to study the scope and adequacy of the State's video-conferencing capability and the feasibility of and requirements for providing additional video-conferencing capability to enable residents of the Neighbor Islands to testify at public hearings scheduled on Oahu.

 

 

WHEREAS, Hawaii is an island state in which the island of Oahu is the most populous and serves as the hub of many governmental operations; and

WHEREAS, important statewide issues affect residents of all islands, and residents of the Neighbor Islands must not be penalized for the remoteness of their homes in relation to public activities, including the holding of public hearings, that take place on Oahu; and

WHEREAS, the Information and Communication Services Division of the Department of Accounting and General Services is the lead agency for information technology in the Executive Branch, is responsible for comprehensively managing the information processing and telecommunication systems for all agencies in the State, and administers and operates the State's video-conferencing activities; and

WHEREAS, four video-conferencing centers are maintained on Oahu, and one video-conferencing center each is also maintained on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai; and

WHEREAS, technology has advanced tremendously in recent years so that video-conferencing has become an acceptable and convenient tool for bringing people from various geographic locations together in live exchanges; and

WHEREAS, many public hearings on statewide matters are held on the island of Oahu, ordinarily requiring residents from the Neighbor Islands to expend the effort and expense of traveling to Oahu to testify; and

WHEREAS, many of these public hearings may be made more accessible to residents of the Neighbor Islands by means of video-conferencing; and

WHEREAS, it is uncertain whether the existing technology and facilities for video-conferencing administered by the State is adequate to cater to the needs of the Neighbor Islands; and

WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the people of the State to determine the scope and adequacy of the State's video-conferencing capability in order to better serve all the citizens of the State; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the Senate concurring, that the High Technology Development Corporation is requested to study the scope and adequacy of the State's video-conferencing capability and the feasibility of and requirements, including costs and technology, for providing additional video-conferencing capability to enable residents of the Neighbor Islands to testify at public hearings scheduled on Oahu; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the High Technology Development Corporation is requested to submit findings and recommendations, including any necessary proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2003; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the High Technology Development Corporation, the Comptroller, and the Head of the Information and Communication Services Division of the Department of Accounting and General Services.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Video-Conferencing; High Technology Development Corp.; Study