Senate Paperless Initiative: A Success!
If the numbers speak for itself, the paperless project appears have made a significant reduction in reducing paper usage.
According to data provided by the Senate Clerk’s Office and Data Systems, the Hawaii State Senate reduced paper usage by 60 percent. Nearly 6.7 million less sheets of paper were printed or copied during the 2008 legislative session compared to 2007. The Senate used nearly 9.7 million pages during the 2007 legislative session compared to 3.1 million this past session.
The Senate tried to ease the transition by providing CDs, expanded wireless capability and through other efforts in the Capitol building. However, users quickly adjusted to the new “paperless initiative.” The Capitol website (www.capitol.hawaii.gov) became much more of an important resource to obtain legislative information like bills, committee reports, and testimonies. By April 2008, the Senate had over 1,853 email subscribers, up from 1,232 in January. In addition, during the same time period, the capitol website averaged about 177,662 visits per month.
In 2007, the Senate undertook a project, which involved both legislators and staff, to limit the number of paper documents generated and replace it with electronic copies. The initial phase of the project started during the special session. The Senate Health and Ways and Means Committees piloted the regular session trial run.
Encouraged by the acceptance and success of the paperless project, Senate Leadership might be looking into expanding it and having a new phase ready by the 2009 session.