Bill Text: HI HR263 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Public Access Room; 20th Anniversary

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2010-03-17 - (H) Resolution adopted in final form. [HR263 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2010-HR263-Introduced.html

---

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	263
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

recognizing and congratulating THE legislative reference bureau's public access room on its twentieth anniversary and commending its continued service to the public.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the richness and vitality of our state are due in large part to the invaluable contributions and meritorious acts of individuals who are committed to enhancing the knowledge of the community through leadership, professionalism, and personal contributions; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Legislative Reference Bureau's Public Access Room (Public Access Room) opened twenty years ago on March 6, 1990, to help people learn more about the Legislature and how they can contribute to the process; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Public Access Room is the first stop for Hawaii's citizens when conducting business at the Legislature and the only full service public access resource in any state capitol in the nation; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Public Access Room makes available work space and computers with Internet access, offers photocopying services, provides access to legislative documents and reference materials, and offers expert assistance from staff; and

 

     WHEREAS, the staff of the Public Access Room selflessly dedicate their time to providing answers and information regarding legislative and government matters and assisting in preparing legislative documents such as testimonies; and

 

     WHEREAS, for over ten years, the Public Access Room has been a processing and delivering center for e-mail testimony submitted for consideration by legislative committees; and
     WHEREAS, the amount of e-mail testimony received has grown tremendously from less than 500 emails in the first year to over 12,000 only six years later; and

 

     WHEREAS, e-mail testimony is an especially important tool for residents of the neighbor islands and outlying areas of Oahu to participate in the legislative process; and

 

     WHEREAS, a Neighbor Island Outreach Program began in 2003, with workshops to help people become more effective and informed citizens, and web-based workshops have had participants as far away as Calcutta, India; and

 

     WHEREAS, starting in 2002, the Public Access Room began coordinating America's Legislators Back-to-School Program, through which legislators visit classrooms to talk about the legislative process and bring civics lessons to life for students; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2008, the Public Access Room's coordination of the Legislators Back-to-School Program resulted in 44 legislators talking to almost 6,000 students at various Hawaii schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, the tools and resources provided by the Public Access Room are invaluable in teaching the public how to understand legislative documents and how each individual can make a difference; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, that this body hereby honors and commends the Public Access Room for its notable contributions to the citizens, Legislature, and State of Hawaii, and extends its deepest aloha, appreciation, and congratulations on the occasion of its 20^th anniversary.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

Public Access Room; 20^th Anniversary