Bill Text: HI HB1828 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Bill 1828 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Public Access Room; Legislative Broadcast Program; Record ($)

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-21 - Referred to LMG, FIN, referral sheet 3 [HB1828 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2014-HB1828-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1828
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to PUBLIC ACCESS.

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that there is no requirement that legislative proceedings at the state capitol be recorded. Shortly after the enactment of the Uniform Information Practices Act, chapter 92F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, concerns were raised by both legislators and staff that chapter 92F could be construed to require the legislature to make, maintain, and archive transcriptions of any recording of a public hearing if the recording was made by staff, regardless of whether it was required by policy or rule, or done so at the staff's initiative. Because the costs of preparing transcriptions were deemed to be prohibitive, staff were instructed never to bring a tape recorder to any public hearing even if it was intended for personal note-taking use.

More than twenty years have passed since the enactment of the Uniform Information Practices Act, and the technology used by the legislature has advanced tremendously. Among other things, every legislative office in the state capitol is now connected by cable to every legislative conference room and is able to monitor an audio or audiovisual feed of legislative proceedings. As a result, it is a common practice for legislative staff to use a television and a Digital Versatile Disc recorder to record the proceedings of standing committees for official use. These recordings serve as an effective tool for individual legislative offices, especially when staff must monitor multiple hearings occurring simultaneously. But there is presently no statutorily required, systematic recording of these proceedings or publicly accessible archiving of them.

The legislature also finds that the contractor for the legislative broadcast program jointly operated by the house of representatives and the senate pursuant to section 21G-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, produces televised coverage of certain noteworthy committee hearings and floor sessions. This coverage is currently provided live to the public in three of four counties on a public, educational, or governmental access channel operated pursuant to chapter 440G, Hawaii Revised Statutes. Pursuant to contract, the televised broadcast provides both an audio and a visual signal, multiple camera angles, high quality sound, and closed captioning.

The coverage produced by the legislative broadcast program's contractor is also recorded, made available for rebroadcast, and archived on the legislature's website. Currently, the legislative broadcast program expends approximately $175,000 per year for production of this coverage, which requires set up and take down of production equipment by contractor staff for each legislative proceeding. Yet, the approximately three hundred fifty hours of annual broadcast coverage produced by the contractor represents perhaps 10 per cent to 15 per cent of the approximately one thousand hearings, briefings, and floor sessions conducted each year.

Although all hearings, briefings, and floor sessions produced by the legislative broadcast program's contractor are recorded and archived to the legislature's website, only a limited number of other proceedings are now recorded and archived. Specifically, floor sessions not produced for broadcast by the contractor are recorded by arrangement between the respective body and the Oahu public, educational, or governmental access channel operator. The cost of recording these proceedings does not include the production costs incurred by the legislative broadcast program's contractor because they are taken from the existing audio and video infrastructure, involve little or no additional personnel cost, and are not close captioned.

Potentially, recordings of committee hearings and briefings not covered by the legislative broadcast program contractor could be made using the audio or video feed provided by the existing infrastructure in each legislative conference room and then archived to the legislature's website. The cost of recording and archiving these proceedings would be considerably less than those produced by the contractor because they would also be taken from the existing audio and video infrastructure with no additional production costs, including costs attributable to the use of multiple cameras, high quality audio, or closed captioning. A pilot project to ascertain the feasibility of this approach would permit the legislature to make an informed decision about the costs and utility of recording and archiving all legislative proceedings not currently recorded and archived.

The purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Statutorily require the recording and archiving of all legislative proceedings, subject to the availability of funds; and

(2) Establish a pilot project to assess the feasibility and estimate the cost of recording and archiving all legislative proceedings.

SECTION 2. Section 21G-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

"(a) There is established in the state capitol a legislative broadcast program that shall become part of the legislature's permanent public access program. The legislative broadcast program shall make an audio or audiovisual recording of all public hearings and informational briefings held at the state capitol and shall maintain an archive of the recordings, which shall be made available to the public to the extent funds are made available for such purposes and subject to such restrictions and procedures relating thereto as may be provided by law or any applicable rules of the legislature."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $30,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the purchase of necessary recording equipment and archival materials, and the hiring of necessary staff.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the legislative reference bureau for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2014.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Public Access Room; Legislative Broadcast Program; Record

Description:

Requires the legislative broadcast program to make an audio or audiovisual recording of all public hearings and informational briefings held at the state capitol, and maintain an archive of the recordings to be made available to the public. Appropriates funds. Effective 07/01/2014.

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