March 1994 Home   Newsletters

April 1994

May 1994

President's Message (Arlene Ellis)
Vote Count Alert
Testimony before the State Legislature
Kakaako Makai Plan
Importance of Legislative Access (Jean Aoki)
Action Alert - Firearms Control Legislation
Action Alert - Public Access Legislation
Membership
Annual Meeting

Action Alert - Public Access Legislation

All House and Senate Bills that made it to the crossover are being worked on by the subject matter committees and the money committees in the opposite houses. Public access bills have been reported out of the legislative management committees and are scheduled for hearing. in the House Finance and the Senate Ways and Means committees. Then the Conference Committee will make further amendments to resolve the differences between the 2 bills.

IN THE SENATE

H.B. 2370, H.D.1, S.D.1 provides:

  1. Funding for continued cable broadcast of legislative proceedings in the 1995 session. ($100,00 for the Senate, $100,000 for the House)

  2. Installation. of equipment such as cameras, cables, control panels, etc. as part of the State Capitol renovation program. ($3,930,000)

  3. Funding and statutory authorization to support a year-round Public Access Room. ($125,000)

Under the provisions of this bill, the state would collect the maximum amount of Annual Fees from cable operators, and allocate the portion not specifically earmarked for other services to fund legislative access initiatives for a three-year period. The House committee on Legislative Management estimates this portion to be approximately $200,000 to $300,000 per year. This is an amendment of H.B. 2731 which would have made some drastic changes in the use of the Annual Fees.

IN THE HOUSE

S.B. 2701, S.D.2, H.D.1

We received a copy of this bill which was reported out of the House Committee on Legislative Management, and while the Committee Report which accompanies it lists appropriation of funds for cablecasting of legislative proceedings in 1995 and the installation of cameras, cables, control cameras, etc. the bill itself only provides for the year-round operation of the Access Room.

We have been assured that this bill is in error and that the proper corrections will be made.

The Access room provisions are good. It lists among the many functions of the room and its staff, workshops for the public on the proper use of the facilities, and on the legislative process.

Not having seen the complete bill, we can only urge you to support the bill that is in the Senate at this point.

FOR THESE PUBLIC ACCESS BILLS TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE MONEY. COMMITTEES AND THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE PUBLIC SHOW ITS INTEREST IN THESE INITIATIVES.

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND YOUR SENATORS AND VOICE YOUR SUPPORT OF H.B. 2730, H.D.1, S.D.1

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