Hawaii-2013-HB911-Amended

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	911
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OFFICE.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the quality of the environment is as important to the welfare of the people of Hawaii as is the economy of the State. The legislature further finds that there is increasing demand for the collection and dissemination of state environmental data to the public, regulated and permitted community, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The legislature also finds that the development of specialized environmental information technology systems can greatly assist the department of health's environmental health administration provide timely and comprehensive environmental information to the public, increase efficiency, and make more informed decisions to better protect the environment. The legislature further finds that an environmental information technology office needs to be established to more efficiently and effectively collect and disseminate environmental data. This in turn will greatly assist the environmental programs to make better decisions through the development of enhanced software programs. In order to maintain current successful software systems, as well as continue to develop new ones, the legislature finds that the environmental information technology office should be created in the department of health.

The purpose of this Act is to establish an environmental information technology office in the department of health.

SECTION 2. The Hawaii Revised Statutes is amended by adding a new chapter to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"CHAPTER

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OFFICE

§ -1 Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

"Director" means the director of health.

"Manager" means the manager of environmental information technology.

"Office" means the environmental information technology office.

§ -2 Environmental information technology office, establishment. There is established an environmental information technology office that shall be headed by a single executive to be known as the manager of environmental information technology who shall be appointed by the director without regard to chapter 76. The manager may hire staff, as may be necessary, without regard to chapter 76. The office shall implement this chapter and shall be placed within the department of health. The office shall perform its duties under this chapter and shall serve the director in an advisory capacity on all matters relating to environmental information management and technology.

§ -3 Duties. The office shall:

(1) Promote the use of environmental information systems and new technology innovations such as mobile applications that enable efficient and non-duplicative collection and dissemination of environmental data for the department environmental programs, the department, the State, and the public;

(2) Provide effective project management to design, develop, and implement useful and relevant environmental information management systems;

(3) Develop and implement environmental information management policy, in accordance with policy set by the office of information management and technology, the department, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for environmental health programs within the department;

(4) Seek partnerships and funding opportunities with outside entities to develop and collaborate on new environmental information management systems and to enhance current environmental information management systems; and

(5) Promote the federal impetus for environmental programs to reduce the burden of regulatory reporting processes, increase efficiencies in data reporting and accessibility, and facilitate effective coordination of environmental regulatory data functions;

provided that the functions and responsibilities of the office shall not overlap with the information technology functions and responsibilities of the office of information management and technology; provided further that the office shall follow the lifecycle governance framework established by the chief information officer in the State of Hawaii Business and Information Technology/Information Resource Management Transformation Plan published in October 2012."

SECTION 3. This Act, upon its approval, shall take effect on July 1, 2013.