Bill Text: HI SB892 | 2015 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Hawaii Resilience and Sustainability Strategy; Appropriation ($)
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-07-01 - Act 143, on 06/26/2015 (Gov. Msg. No. 1244). [SB892 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2015-SB892-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
892 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015 |
S.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
H.D. 3 |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO OMNIBUS HAWAI‘I RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
PART I
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawai‘i 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 a pacific hub technology park that integrates state-of-the-art communications platforms, big data analytics, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
In 2008, the State unveiled the Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Plan, which was prepared by the Hawai‘i 2050 sustainability task force composed of state and county government officials, University of Hawai‘i representatives, and private industry representatives. The task force asked the following guiding questions: "What do the people of Hawai‘i 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 Hawai‘i in the long-term.
The purpose of this Act is to make appropriations for a Hawai‘i resilience and sustainability strategy in the areas of broadband, joint emergency management, energy efficiency and smart grid, and water and sewer infrastructure.
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 Hawai‘i 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. 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 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 O‘ahu and one site each on Kaua‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i, Lana‘i, and Hawai‘i.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.
PART III
SECTION 5. 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 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.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of defense for the purposes of this Act.
PART IV
SECTION 6. The legislature finds that it is necessary to improve the reliability and security of the O‘ahu power grid, which involves a collaborative effort of Hawaiian Electric Company; the Pacific-Asia institute for resilience and sustainability; Mehta Tech, Inc.; United States Pacific Command; and the Hawai‘i department of defense; among others. The collaboration is intended to result in the deployment of state-of-the-art technology at the substation level to study the potential enhancement of security, reliability, and dependability of the electric grid on O‘ahu and ultimately on all islands.
SECTION 7. 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 State of Hawai‘i's resilience and sustainability initiative management team to continue its collaborative research efforts in exploring methods to improve energy efficiency and grid operations in all of Hawai‘i.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.
PART V
SECTION 8. The legislature finds that the United States Environmental Protection Agency has identified Hawai‘i as the focus for improving how funding is used to support water systems and infrastructure. There is approximately $100,000,000 in unused funds from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water state revolving fund. The fund is used to make grants and low interest loans for county water improvement projects that have had difficulty obtaining necessary permits from the state department of health.
SECTION 9. 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 plans by the State of Hawai‘i's resilience and sustainability initiative management team to expedite county water improvement projects and target the water and sewer distribution systems on each island.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.
PART VI
SECTION 10. The director of finance is authorized to issue reimbursable 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 purpose of the Hawaii resilience and sustainability strategy.
SECTION 11. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 12. The appropriation made 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 VII
SECTION 13. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2112.
Report Title:
Hawaii Resilience and Sustainability Strategy
Description:
Makes various appropriations for the Hawaii resilience and sustainability strategy. (SB892 HD3)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
