Report Title:

Administrative Rules; Lieutenant Governor

 

Description:

Requires the lieutenant governor to post full text of administrative rules for all state agencies on the lieutenant governor's internet website in a single, searchable database, beginning 01/01/08.

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

629

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT


 

 

relating to ADMINISTRATIVE rules.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that although the internet website of the lieutenant governor contains links to the existing administrative rules of all state agencies, as well as links to proposed rule changes for each agency, the administrative rules and proposed rule changes are accessible only as links to the internet website of each specific state department or agency.  Interested parties are unable to conduct a full search of all administrative rules by entering a single query on the administrative rules section of the lieutenant governor's internet website.  Instead, the current linkage of rules to the lieutenant governor's internet website allows for a review of the administrative rules of only one state department or one state agency at a time.  The legislature finds that providing a single, searchable database that contains the full text of all existing administrative rules for all state agencies would allow for more direct participation in government by our citizens.

     The purpose of this Act is to require the lieutenant governor to post in a single, searchable database, the full text of all existing administrative rules for all state agencies on the lieutenant governor's internet website.

SECTION 2.  Section 91-2.6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "[[]§91-2.6[]]  Proposed rulemaking actions [and]; rules; adoption, amendment, or repeal; posting on the lieutenant governor's [Internet] internet website.  (a)  Beginning January 1, [2000,] 2008, all state agencies, through the office of the lieutenant governor, shall make available on the internet website of the office of the lieutenant governor all rules of each agency, including each proposed rulemaking action of the agency [and], the full text of the agency's proposed rules or changes to existing rules[.], and the existing rules.  The lieutenant governor's internet website shall include the full text of all existing rules for each state agency in a single database that allows the text of all rules to be searched by a word or citation query and provide instructions regarding how to download the information regarding proposed rulemaking actions and the full text of the agency's proposed rules.

     (b)  Each state agency, to the greatest extent feasible, shall:

     (1)  Ensure that all information pertaining to that agency that is contained on the lieutenant governor's website is current and accurate; and

     (2)  Advise individuals contacting the state agency of the availability of the proposed rulemaking actions and the full text of the agency's proposed rules and existing rules on the lieutenant governor's website.

     (c)  Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the ability of a department to provide access to its administrative rules on its own internet website, in addition to the lieutenant governor's website pursuant to subsection (a)."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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