Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 3, 1 March 1991 — Legislative ACCESS is for you [ARTICLE]

Legislative ACCESS is for you

Now there's a way to get easy Access to legislative information. The Hawai'i State Legislature is committed to increase citizen participation and access to the !egislative process. Now, you ean have instant electronic access to the text of legislative bills, resolutions, committee reports, hearing notices, and status of legislative measures by using ACCESS: Leqislative lnformation Service.

You are invited to participate in the legislative process by using ACCESS. All you need is . . . • a personal computer, modem, communications software, . and phone line to access legislative documents to view on your monitor, print a hard copy, or down-load onto disk; or • a Touch-Tone phone to hear a computer-gener-ated voice report the status of bills and resolutions from a regularly updated database. (Only five requests will be taken per eall.) ACCESS phone numbers ACCESS: Legislative information service View bills, resolutions, committee reports and hearing notices from your computer.

O'ahu 296-4636 (296-INFO) Neighbor islands 1-800-628-4229 Audio ACCESS: Bill status service Get the status of bills and resolutions from your Touch-Tone phone. O'ahu 548-7777 Neighbor islands . . . 1-800-468-4644 and ask for Audio ACCESS (548-7777) (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays) For details on how to use ACCESS or to receive an information packet, eall the ACCESS Help Desk: 548-1738 (O'ahu). On the neighbor islands eall: 1-800-468-4644 and ask for ACCESS Help Desk (548-1738).

During the legislative session, there is a plaee where members of the public ean go for assistance to leam how to use the public ACCESS terminals, to obtain and review legislative documents, and more. The capitol public service room, located in

room 039 in the basement of the state capitol (chamber level, next to the auditorium) is a public work area, opened on a pilot basis, whieh is open to the public at no charge. Here you ean leam how to use the ACCESS computer terminals to find out the status of a bill, resolution, committee report and hearing notice. You ean also get help to prepare last-minute testimony, network with others on issues, and exchange messages and materials.

The capitol public service room is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The phone number is 548-1734. Numbers for the pay phones are 5389672 and 538-9978. It contains eight ACCESS terminals, three typewriters, three telephones (including two pay phones), a copy maehine (it's coin-operated, 5 cents a page), a message center and a bulletin board. Equipment has been donated by Common Cause and AAUW. Donations of a FAX maehine and FAX paper is being invited from the public. A volunteer staff will help you use the ACCESS terminals and other equipment, help you find your way around the capitol, help in preparation of testimonies and letters to legislators, and answers incoming phone calls and will take messages. Core

volunteers are members of Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, the Association of American University Women (AAUW) and the Hawai'i Council of Churches, Citizens interested in volunteering are invited to serve a minimum of one four-hour shift per week. Training is provided. There are few rules for use of the room: persons who use the room must sign in on a log sheet; you must provide your own supplies and elean up after yourselves; no smoking or aleohol is permitted; meetings and "heated discussions" in the room will not be allowed.

For more information on the public service room, volunteer program or if you want to donate a FAX maehine or paper, contact Rep. Carol Fukunaga's office at 548-6682.