Why are things so muddled at the Hawaii State Legislature? This is a question many have asked lately.
The opacity of the legislative process was glaring this past session. We witnessed a piece of legislation we advocated for die an abrupt death at the end of session in conference committee. Many others had the same fate.
The Hawai‘i Broadband Hui supported House Bill 1408, which would have established a digital equity grant program. The intent of the bill was to build up local training capacity in advance of anticipated federal funding. Funding of HB 1408 would have targeted Hawaii’s local, community-based organizations and educational institutions to prepare digital equity and build capacity to effectively use anticipated federal funding.
HB 1408, as introduced, requested $5 million over two years to enroll kamaaina, of all ages, in programs to increase digital access. This funding would provide approximately 1,000 multiday training sessions for multiple cohorts of 10 students at a cost of just $200 per “student,” totaling $2 million. It would also award a $300 basic laptop computer to each student for an additional $3 million.
This training is critical for our vulnerable and underserved populations including kupuna, disabled, rural community residents, immigrants, the underemployed, houseless and veterans. Many of us shop, learn, receive medical care and work online, but approximately 10% of Hawaii households lack the digital skills necessary to access broadband services. Additionally, there are an estimated 41,000 households in Hawaii without access to computers.
The modest investment, proposed by the bill, sought to enhance our digital equity program, which is required by the Federal Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) and part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment. It is not enough to run a fiber-optic line to a residence. In order to receive the federal funds, the act requires the state to implement measures to ensure effective use of the broadband funds.
The digital equity bill introduced by 28 legislators, received support testimony from 39 entities and was passed out of committee at three hearings in the House and two in the Senate. We were optimistic it would pass. For those who may not be aware, it is “standard procedure” for the subject matter committee chair to delay the effective date and zero out the dollar amount in the first hearing when a bill seeks money appropriations. Money is put back into the bill near the end of the process, or in the case of HB 1408, a dollar amount was never reappropriated. This was not apparent in the bill tracking system, however; we learned about this from memos between the subject matter committee chairs to the money committee chairs.
The media and policy experts call on lawmakers to improve the legislative process with more transparency each year. We can confirm the appropriation of state monies is one part of that process that clearly must be improved. Perhaps the recommended appropriation amounts can remain in the bills and be explained in the subject-matter committee reports. The dollar figures could be in the latest draft of the measure, and accessible and calculated with simple software improvements. A budget “worksheet” could be included within the bills themselves, fully linked as part of the bill, and details could be accessible to the public and legislators before they vote.
Refining the legislative process to ensure public access to bill information still may not have helped HB 1408 make it into the state budget, but it would certainly provide more transparency and a more fair and equitable legislative process. Isn’t it about time we invested in a legislative process upgrade?
Kiran Polk is a member of the Hawai‘i Broadband Hui and executive director of the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce; Daniel C. Smith, Ph.D., is a member of the broadband hui, a university lecturer and a retired Hawaiian Airlines avionics engineer.
