THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

892

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015

S.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO OMNIBUS HAWAII RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY.

 

 

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

 


PART I

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Hawaii needs a new way of thinking about how the State addresses critical infrastructure needs through the development of public-private partnerships that are specifically focused on research and development.  The legislature's role is to create the environment for attracting partners with resources, technical expertise, and the willingness to develop an offshore high technology park that integrates state-of-the-art communications platforms, big data analytics, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

     In 2008, the State unveiled the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan, which was written by the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Task Force comprised of state and county government officials, University of Hawaii representatives, and private industry representatives.  The task force asked the following guiding questions:  What do the people of Hawaii want for the future of our islands in the 21st century?  What is the community's will for the future of our economy, society, and environment?  What steps can we take now to achieve that preferred future for our children and their children?  Similarly, the intent of this Act is to focus on an updated strategy to achieve a sustainable and resilient Hawaii in the long term.

     The purpose of this Act is to make appropriations for a Hawaii resilience and sustainability strategy in the areas of broadband and joint emergency management.

PART II

     SECTION 2.  The legislature finds that the benefits of broadband internet access include:

     (1)  Access to all types of information within a few keystrokes, whether this information is to learn a new skill, learn a new language, or complete an online course.  Broadband facilitates the rapid access of information in many different forms;

     (2)  Economic development to accelerate business development and provide new opportunities for innovation, expansion, and e-commerce.  Communities that connect their residents create wealth and attract business investments;

     (3)  Public safety to connect first responders in an emergency and allow emergency workers to communicate across disparate networks, between jurisdictions, and across different agencies, which are critical capabilities at the scene of an emergency.  Police, fire, and emergency medical personnel can react to crises quickly, fostering cooperation among numerous public safety agencies;

     (4)  Facilitation of healthcare delivery and creation of opportunities such as telemedicine for doctors and healthcare specialists to work together as a virtual team, with specialists located in any part of the world.  A family practitioner in a small rural town can send medical images of a patient to a specialist in any part of the world for an instant expert consultation.  Test results from a hospital emergency room or laboratory can be sent to a radiologist or doctor in seconds, making rapid diagnosis a reality.  Doctors are also now sending prescriptions directly from their offices to pharmacies, greatly reducing errors, with automatic checking for interactions;

     (5)  Enhancement of and greater equity of access to educational resources.  Children in inner city neighborhoods, affluent homes, and farm communities can all access the same resources.  Scarce textbook materials can be replaced with online resources, and children can access all of these materials from school and home;

     (6)  Improved communications, which can improve people's professional and personal lives and increase participation by people with disabilities.  Broadband empowers people with disabilities and removes barriers that keep them from participating in everyday activities;

     (7)  Enhanced telecommuting because broadband enables people to work from home, saving time, reducing expenses, and easing traffic congestion.  Employers have been encouraging this concept to save overhead expenses and improve employee satisfaction; and

     (8)  Enabling of smart grid technology, which enables homeowners to monitor energy usage in real time and adjust usage patterns to save energy costs and aid in conservation efforts.

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015-2016 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 for the Hawaii broadband initiative, which explores how a public-private partnership can deliver overall projects through research and development.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 4.  The director of finance is authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary is appropriated for fiscal year 2015-2016 for the design, construction, and materials for broadband cable landing sites and for the preparation of environmental impact statements for seven of those sites as follows:  two sites on Oahu and one site each on Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Hawaii.

     SECTION 5.  The appropriation made for the capital improvement project authorized by section 4 of this Act shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal biennium for which the appropriation is made; provided that all moneys from the appropriation unencumbered as of June 30, 2018, shall lapse as of that date.

PART III

     SECTION 6.  The director of finance is authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary is appropriated for fiscal year 2015-2016 for the planning, land acquisition, design, and construction of a joint emergency management center in Mililani high technology park to house state and city and county of Honolulu emergency management operations.

     SECTION 7.  The appropriation made for the capital improvement project authorized by this part shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal biennium for which the appropriation is made; provided that all moneys from the appropriation unencumbered as of June 30, 2018, shall lapse as of that date.

PART IV

     SECTION 8.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.



 

Report Title:

Hawaii Resilience and Sustainability Strategy

 

Description:

Makes various appropriations for the Hawaii resilience and sustainability strategy.  Effective 7/1/2050.  (SD2)

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.