STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1188

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1270

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1270, H.D. 2, entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to improve the government and public's abilities to make informed decisions on various public policy and operational issues relating to state planning by enhancing the ability of the Office of Planning to manage and coordinate a Statewide Geographic Information and Data Integration Program.

 

     Specifically, this measure:

 

     (1)  Creates a Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Special Fund to assist in the operation and maintenance of the Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Program;

 

     (2)  Clarifies the role that the Office of Planning has in maintaining and coordinating a statewide enterprise geographic information system;

 

     (3)  Appropriates an unspecified amount from the general fund to support the implementation of a geographic information system software enterprise license agreement;

 

     (4)  Appropriates an unspecified amount from the general fund to be deposited into the Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Special Fund; and

 

     (5)  Appropriates an unspecified amount to allow the Office of Planning to expend moneys from the Statewide Geospatial Information and Data Integration Special Fund.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources; the Department of Agriculture; the Department of Health; the Office of Planning, Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Mayor, County of Kauai; the Department of Planning and Permitting, City and County of Honolulu; and the Pacific Disaster Center.

 

     The Office of Planning currently manages a statewide geographic information system that is used on a daily basis by a number of state agencies.  The current geographic information system server provides state agencies open access to over one hundred fifty geospatial layers that are available on the State's central geographic information system database.  This information is a helpful tool for state agencies to make informed decisions regarding policy making, long-term planning, operational issues, and emergency planning and response.

 

     Your Committee finds that additional support is needed for the geographic information system to be updated and expanded so that the system can serve more agencies and the public.  Providing funds to allow the Office of Planning to enter into a geographic information system software enterprise license agreement on behalf of all state agencies using geospatial technologies and data fulfills the intent of this measure, which is to improve the government and public's abilities to make informed decisions on various public policy and operational issues.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Adding a part II to this measure that inserts the language of S.B. No. 844, that appropriates an unspecified amount to the Office of the Auditor for the development of the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan and supports the important efforts of the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Task Force;

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date of this measure to July 1, 2050; and

 

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

 

     Your Committee believes that this measure, as amended, fulfills the intent of this measure, which is to improve the government and public's abilities to make informed decisions on various public policy and operational issues relating to state planning.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1270, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1270, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair