STAND. COM. REP. NO.  171

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1270

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns, to which was referred H.B. No. 1270 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE PLANNING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to improve government decision-making through improved access to, and ability to share agency geospatial information, by:

 

(1)  Updating the Office of Planning's (OP's) duties with regard to managing and coordinating a statewide geospatial information and data integration program;

 

(2)  Requiring agencies to provide OP with their respective geospatial data; and

 

(3)  Establishing a geospatial information and data integration special fund.

 

     OP, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, County of Kauai Department of Finance, and Hawaii Association of Realtors provided testimony in support of this bill.  A concerned individual submitted comments.

 

     Your Committee finds that OP was charged in 1996 with establishing a statewide geographic information system (GIS) that is now fully operational.  Users may access different layers of geospatial information about the islands, such as the locations of tsunami evacuation zones or schools.  The system is an invaluable technical resource for the Fire Department, Police, Civil Defense, Planning, Housing, and Public Works.

 

OP testified that the special fund established by this bill is intended to allow agencies and any private partners to pool funds to obtain GIS software, equipment, applications, and databases that serve a common need.  This would address problems caused by procurement procedures by allowing the issuance of a single contract, rather than multiple contracts.  In addition, pooling will allow the state to obtain items at a lower cost, which will enable agencies with old versions of the GIS to update their software.  When the GIS software is updated, the sharing of data and communication between state agencies will be fostered, and OP will be able to implement changes to the system to improve the efficiency of data storage and the deployment of data.

 

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

(1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2034, to encourage further discussion of the measure; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1270, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1270, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair