Senate Standing Committee on Government Operations

Well, hi everybody. Welcome to today's government operations hearing. Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 3 p.m. Convene Conference Room 225. Meeting is being streamed live on YouTube. In the likely event that we have to abruptly end this hearing due to technical difficulties, Committee will reconvene to discuss any outstanding business at 3:01 p.m. Thursday, March 27, 2025 in room 225.

And a public notice will be posted on the Ledges website. First up, we have A Governor's Message 663 submitting for consideration and confirmation to the 911 board Gubernatorial nominee will note the typo in the message.

Corey Schaefer for a term to expire 062026 and however, the Board of Commission name was amended to the 911 board by Governor's Message 712. So my apologies, that correction was done in Governor's message 712. With that up, we have. First up we have Mike Buechler, individual in support.

We have Noah Grodzen, individual support and Adrian De La Garza, another individual in support. That's all we receive. Do we have the nominee, Mr. Schaefer? Yes.

Thank you folks.

Thanks so much.

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair. Appreciate the opportunity. My name is Corey Schaefer. I am currently the Associate Director for Network Operations for Verizon for the State of Hawaii. Just a little bit about my background. I'm formerly trained as an electrical Engineer.

I have 20 years in the telecommunications industry, two years of experience in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a year in Portland, Oregon. And I spent the last 17 years out here in Hawaii most of that time, 12 of those 17 years, I was a network performance engineer.

So optimizing the network, deciding where a new cell site should go, supervising their construction, etc. In the last five years, I've been the associate Director. So I'm basically the Boss in charge of all the technicians and engineers who work on the Verizon network in Hawaii.

So we operate the wireless network, lots of cell sites, and we have a switching and data center. Also for the last five years, I've been on the 911 board and was recently elected the chair. So I'm here to seek a reappointment. I think the board is doing a great job. I'm really pleased to support them.

I think the thing I bring most to the board is probably my telecommunications experience. I have a lot. I have pretty limited government experience, but I have learned quite a bit over the past five years. So I think my history on the board also Makes me an ideal candidate for renewal, but. Yeah.

If you folks have any questions, please let them wrap. Okay, sounds good.

Excellent. Remembers there any questions of the nominee? No, I think we're good. Your experience and performance speaks for itself. Thank you so much. Okay, thank you very much. Really easy one. All right.

What we're going to do, if it's okay with you, is we're just going to breeze through the other items on the agenda and then we'll do the recommendation. Okay, great. Okay with that.

SR35SCR53 requesting the Comptroller to cooperate with the Hawaii State Public Library System to identify rural and underserved communities in the state with a need for better telecommunication access for residents to participate in the state legislative process. Pardon me. These papers are sticking together. Today we have up comptroller or designee, Department of Accounting, General Services. Okay.

Thank you for being here, sir. Stacey Aldrich, Hawaii State Public Library. Okay, thank you so much. We have Daintree Bartolos. Sorry.

Good afternoon. Chair, Vice Chair, Members of the Committee. My name is Sumayya Gorham and I'm an intern at the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities here to give testimony on behalf of my boss, Danesh Bartolos.

We want to stand on our written testimony and support and I'm just going to give a quick testimony that the Hawaii State Library Systems or the HSPLS has been recognized for its outstanding contributions to broadband access and community support. In 2012, HSLS received the state's First Excellence in Technology Award.

And in 2024, the Hawaii State Libraries librarian Stacey Elric, here with was honored with the Digital Equity Luminary Award. This national recognition reflects a strong and ongoing commitment to advancing digital equity across our islands.

Throughout the state, we have relied on our public libraries to meet with self advocates and family Members, helping them with access to the computers get online to apply to benefits things like Hawaii able savings accounts and learning how to provide testimony.

HSPLS is a trusted and welcoming place that bridges the digital divide, especially for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We believe that the Hawaii State Public Library System is a valuable partner for the Office of the Comptroller.

With its ability to identify rural and underserved communities, HSPLS can play a key role in expanding telecommunication access so that all residents, regardless of their ability or their location, can participate in the legislative process, not only in writing, but visually and meaningfully. Thank you for this opportunity to testify. Thank you so much.

We also have late testimony from Katie Swan, individual support and Frank Schultz, an individual also in support I'm here.

Chair. You are here. Okay. Yeah, sorry.

You can see there.

Okay. Vice Chair and Committee Members. My name is Katie Swan. I'm a strong support of the measure because people with intellectual disability need access to the state library system to use the Internet or technology to do the testimony. Please pass this measure and that. Please let me know if any question you may have. Listen my testimony.

All right. Thank you for being online. Appreciate it. Sounds good. Okay, well, appreciate him. Anybody else in the room or in Zoom wishing to testify? See none. Members, questions? Yes, go ahead.

Thank you. Stacy, could you come on a state librarian and I guess James also Gosner for DAGS. Since Keith Wigan isn't here, could you come on up? My question is my understanding, living in a rural area where there is not much access to the legislative system except through the libraries that this resolution is basically requesting.

I'm not quite sure what this resolution does except to possibly get DAGS to give you folks more computer equipment and more bandwidth so that at least during the legislative session you folks will be able to accommodate anybody needing to go on Zoom to testify. Is that how you read this resolution? Because that's how I read it.

Is that, is there a need right now, at least during the January to May session where there are people standing in line saying I don't have access to, I guess to be able to Zoom in for testimony? Do you see a need for it?

I believe there is a need, I think, and we've had it in our available in our libraries for many years. We have information. We work with the legislative library here to make sure all of the information is clear.

I think what is the challenge is people's awareness that they can come to the library and use the library resources. I also think there needs to be more education on how to give testimony and how to participate. I think some people don't do it because they might not feel comfortable.

So I think there's an educational component to it.

So is it. So this is my understanding because I haven't. And I'm one of those people who are blessed because I have my computer at home that I have access to it. But when I visit the library, I remember seeing like a sign up list to Reserve a time to use certain computers that they.

Okay, so my question is, during the legislative session, is there like enough, are there people asking to be able to use any of these computers so they can Zoom in and testify but are not, have not signed up or they're. Or all of the reserved time for the computers are all used up?

That they then don't have access. Or is there a third reason? Is. Is there a prioritization where the people who Zoom in for testimony get prioritized versus those who just want to check their emails?

We have not had that issue of people waiting in line. Okay. We do have Chromebooks available so people can use our WI fi. So we could have multiple people actually testifying. What I am concerned about is sometimes the hearings might go outside of our hours and I don't know how many of those have happened.

So we would have to look at our hours and we would need support to provide additional hours, maybe during session.

You wouldn't know this off the top of your head, right? You have 51 libraries across the state. You have. That's what I think the working groups trying to take a deeper dive on areas where there could be this demand or upon better education, increased demand. And do you guys even have the broadband capabilities to.

Or there are other ways the state could increase through other facilities the availability. Right.

So currently through E rate funding, we have a burstable gig to every branch in the state. So we have very good network capacity, broadband capacity to support people testifying even on our WI fi. So our capabilities are there.

I just think there's an awareness and also just if we could work together to build training before the ledge session starts for communities. I think there's a lot of people who would like to learn how to feel comfortable and to be able to use the resources.

So I'm looking at this resolution. It doesn't. It's asking the comptroller DAGS to cooperate with you. And DAGS is required to do a report. You're aware of that, James, right?

As to what the capabilities are of the state library, it sounds like to me we may need to amend this to include public access room for the informational piece, it sounds like. But I'll leave it up to the chair what you folks decide to do.

But I think that's a good idea. They do outreach already to the neighbor islands.

Make sure they cover state libraries to give you the flyer saying this is the legislative timetable and.

Okay, I have a question. Yeah, go for it.

So my question is the inclusion of tags in this. I mean other than OETS having technology capabilities. And as Senator San Buenaventura says, maybe it's public access, but it seems that all of your 51 libraries have access.

You can clearly tell this was done because the bill failed. We heard the bill. It died. I think it failed. And so this is attempt to keep the conversation alive insofar because the original measure had DAGS and looked at state facilities across the board to see which ones could provide broadband, including libraries.

Came into the conversation of a place where people could come and testify. So I think the resolution starts off in grabbing you guys, but then aims to grab the rest of the state agencies as was discussed in the bill, which is why.

And it's not clear starts one way. It's not clear on what the problem is because this is a problem is really how do you get more people to come and use it rather than they're not using it because we don't have it. Absolutely. Yeah.

Well, yeah, that's what I think. If it's just for the libraries, if you stick to the title, then it would just be par working with the library system directly and leaving these four guys out.

Or we zag the other way and we say, no, we're going to have you add the broadband equity office and go far beyond libraries and look at all state facilities, especially those that are geographically. So which way do you want to go, guys?

Well, the reason I thought DAGS was in was because that they had physical. Physically. They're physically unable to accommodate everybody. But it sounds like they are able to come.

No, I don't think that's where it came from.

Yeah, but I don't. Then I agree with Senator Moriwaki. I don't know White Dax well, no.

It attempted the bill, but it was so I. So probably what we're going to do, I think is we're just going to leave you guys out of it and then goodbye and then add car and then adopt it and see what the House wants.

So requesting a public access instead of the comptroller.

Yeah, instead of the comptroller to work with the library system on better education so people know they have this availability and can. Because we're trying to encourage on Maui people go Zoom crazy and testify as much as possible. And there's no reason that we promote the fact you have libraries in this access.

Of course, the good friends from the telecom deck over there nodding. Okay, but sound good, you guys? Yeah. All right. I'm good with that. Okay, cool. We'll move on to the next one now. Thank you. SR114 SCR135 this is urging all state departments Department partner with the Office of Wellness and Resilience for data sharing agreements.

First up, we have 14. We have Michael Champion, Office of the Governor testimony and support. Tia Hartsock, Director of Office of Wellness.

Resiliency Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, Members of the Committee, my name is Trina Orimoto for the Office of Wellness and Resilience. We stand in very strong support of this resolution. Really appreciate you all hearing it today. And we're excited to partner with the different state departments on data sharing to address the needs of our community.

It very closely aligns with the Executive Order of Hawaii. Becoming a trauma informed state aligns very closely with our mandate within the office. And particularly given recent federal policies that have changed access to large national data sets along around social determinants of health and health related data, this is more important than ever.

We're also excited because this aligns with our work along the Health Quality of Life and well being dashboard and are thus well positioned to be able to examine data across the state in this way. So thank you so much. We're available for questions. Thank you.

We have Christine Sakuda, Hawaii Office of Enterprise Technology Services. Okay, thank you so much. We have Judith Clark, who's ICR on zoom, Hawaii Youth Services Network. Go ahead.

Aloha Chair Members of the Committee. I'm Judith Clark, Executive Director of Hawaii Youth Services Network and we are in strong support of this resolution. I serve as a Member of the Hawaii Trauma Informed Care Task Force.

Over the past three years, the task force has developed a plan and strategies that will incorporate trauma informed approaches to services offered to children, youth and families. This resolution will move Hawaii closer to its goal of becoming a trauma informed state.

The resolution will support efforts by the Governor's Office of Wellness and Resilience to gather and share data that is needed to plan and implement a trauma informed framework for services to all community Members in Hawaii. Thank you for this opportunity to testify.

Okay, thank you for being here. And then finally, Frank Schultz, individual, he is in support. That's all we have on the resolutions before us. Is there anybody in the audience or Zoom I might have missed seeing non Members? Question? Yes. Yeah, I do go first.

Office of Wellness. So this is super General request for all data. I mean I don't know if I want to agree on all data access, although I understand that you folks, what you folks are coming from, but you're talking about all departments and that includes Department of Health, Department of Human Services.

You got huge privacy and HIPAA stuff problems. What data are you folks requesting collaboration on and what do you folks intend to do with this data?

It's a really good question. I think we're excited to partner with state departments to identify the specific variables that might be useful to help identify the barriers and challenges in communities. And you're Right. About the data privacy part.

Data, I mean that's what data. Yeah. Why do you need. Can't you do this already? You're a state agency, can't you. You're asking a new resolution to get cooperation from other state agents. All of them testified in support, except for the Department of Health which gave comments, not support. So are there. I mean let's get.

Is that what the RESO is about is getting them to share data with you guys more willingly? Are the feels pertinent or.

Yes. Okay, there we go. That, that is our hope to be able to.

Yeah. Well, and I don't mind if it doesn't go to me but you know, data privacy is a huge issue and we're asking and for human services, there's a lot of data that's given to them regarding income and the like you know, to get SNAP benefits, to get TANF benefits to get.

And there are federal requirements and federal restrictions as to data sharing. And I don't know if we want to be known as the state that throws away everyone's data's privacy issues to collaborate with an unknown. Although you folks mean well, I got serious problems with that. I really, really do.

Unless you pin down what data you need, what kind of what you're going to do with it, how it's going to be decimated, I mean like 23andMe. Even though they people thought that their data is private, now they're in Chapter 11 and now the data is now upward grabs. And you're asking.

And that's a private agency where there is an actual contract that says the data is private.

Are you asking this Committee to now tell all the individuals who have given their data to the various agencies, whether or not Department of Labor for unemployment, whether or not now all their data is going to go to Office of Wellness whom they decided, who they didn't know existed at the time when they gave this data away.

Right.

Well, and I think you're making a good point too because we want people to have one trust in government. And also transparency is a really big part of trauma informed care generally.

So I fully agree with all of the things you're saying and I also we've been working very closely with ETS and also Department of Health around understanding data governance and all of the issues that are involved.

You know, I think we would in order to move forward with this in a very trustful and transparent way, we want to make sure that we could work with the departments to identify variables, perhaps data in aggregate, so that it's Less individually identifiable, but happy to collaborate.

With folks in order to do it through Arezzo. You do know doing it through Arezzo is basically calling them out.

Yeah. Instead of just.

Instead of just sending a letter, meaning having a meeting or making a request. Right. I mean, so you're asking the Legislature.

To officially tell them to cooperate for an unknown cause. And we don't even know what data you want. And these individuals who we got this data from, and we haven't given them notice that their data will all of a sudden be given to an office of Wellness resilience project of an unknown entity. I got this.

No, I love this. Understandable. I love your whole purpose.

But they don't hate the players.

I got serious. I mean, in this era when we don't want Doge to go into people. I absolutely agree.

Because when the 23andMe thing happened, I texted several of my colleagues immediately to lament a Bill that was. We've been trying to. I call him Senator Lee. Been trying to push for six years that gives California citizens a statutory right to get their data back.

And the hacking community knows that this data is pretty much in a very. This flux State of ownership provides a lot of security, potential escalation. So I think all of this brings to measure this.

Well, clearly, if we're even to move this, it's going to be in consultation and approval of the health care who should have been on this with. So this is a fair, I guess, heads up to everybody in the interest of fairness. Full discussion. So. But any other questions?

I guess just to clarify going forward, what is the purpose of the getting the data? So I think that would start you off as to where you want to focus on the kind of data you need instead of just saying data sharing, because you share data for a purpose.

So you might want to look at that as a go forward grant. This is too broad as to. Yeah, yeah. Then you can kind of focus in what data sets do you need?

Right, right, right, right. That makes a lot of sense. Yes. And we're happy to partner with you all too, to craft the language in a way that is amenable.

Yeah, well, maybe you can work with the health chair, who's a Committee Member on that. And so we have time. So we'll defer decision making so you guys can hopefully come up with something that addresses the concerns that have been laid. Yeah.

Okay. We'd be happy to. Thank you so much. No problem.

All right, we'll move on to the next one, which is SR 156 SCR143, urging all boards and commissions to conduct annual performance reviews of executive directors or persons holding equivalent exempt positions. Surprise that's not the case already; we have up, let's see, we have, I believe only testimony received on this was from a Mr. Frank Schultz, an individual who's in support.

It was not late, right? There's no late testimony on this one. Okay. There's one individual in support and that was Mr. Schultz. Given that he's an individual who submitted electronically, I assume nobody else in the audience wants to testify on the measure.

Seeing none. Members, there are nobody to ask questions of. However, I noted in reading the rezo that was brought to our attention by the drafting agency that we should clarify this is for civil service exemption, talks about exempt. Okay. With that we'll go right into decision making.

First up, Governor's message 663; consideration confirmation to the e- ah, to the 911 board, Mr. Corey Schaefer to continue his great term on the board. Given the testimony of the individuals and of course the testimony of the nominee himself. Really appreciate his breadth and knowledge and the resource.

The fact he was made the Chair speaks to what and that provides continuity on the board. So, it's my honor to recommend we advise and consent to the nominee. Members, questions? Comments? If not, Senator Moriwaki, appreciate you taking the vote: Governor's message 663 advise and consent. I vote yes.

Recommendations to advise and consent. [Roll Call]. Recommendation is adopted.

Great. Thank you. Congratulations, sir. Appreciate all your work. We will see you back at it. SR 35 / SCR 53: this is the one that would request the comptroller to cooperate with the Hawaii State Public Library System to identify rural underserved communities for broadband for better access with the legislative process. Members, we have time on this.

I was going to move this today. However, given the testimony, we're going to defer time certain to Thursday. And I just want to basically come up with a version that reflects the conversation of putting par in taking out bags. Okay. SR 114 / SCR 135: this is urging all state departments to partner with the Office of Wellness and Resiliency for data sharing agreements.

Yes, this is - sorry. Yeah, SCR 135. Again, on this one we have time and given the conversations, we're going to defer this time, certain if we're going to give Office of Wellness and Resiliency the opportunity to work with the Chair of Health, the committee member, on a version of the resolution, that would assuage the concerns raised by the committee today. And if not, then of course we'll just defer it indefinitely.

But we'd like to give you the opportunity to do that. So, we'll defer this time certain to Thursday to check in. If you need more time, we can probably accommodate at least to check in. And then finally SR 156 / SCR143, urging all boards and commissions to conduct annual performance reviews of E.Ds.

You think that would be the case already, but it's a very good thing. Testimony in support of an individual where recommendation is a senate draft one to amend it to reflect civil service positions of the exemption. Yes?

To clarify, deferring time checked in 3pm. And you can file.

Correct. Oh, by the way, on the deferrals that were mentioned previously, it is time certain 3:00pm in this room. And then finally, so back to SR156 / SCR 143, recommendation is a senate draft one to make that clarification. Members, questions? Comments? If not, Senator Moriwaki, SCR 156 / 143. I vote yes.

All members present except for Senator Gabbard and recommendation is adopted. Okay.

Thank you. This concludes the hearing. Thank you very much.