STAND. COM. REP. NO. 873

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 613
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
613, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOBACCO PRODUCTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to create a statewide licensure
mechanism for retail tobacco sales that provides for licensing
retail tobacco vendors, inspections and enforcement, adjudication
of fines and penalties, training and education for retail
merchants, and public awareness of the State's law governing the
sale of tobacco to minors.

     Your Committee finds that about ninety percent of smokers
begin before age eighteen, and that minors are beginning to
experiment with tobacco use at younger ages than ever before.
Your Committee further finds that reducing youth access to
tobacco products is an instrumental component in reducing the
number of minors who smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products,
and that the compliance of merchants is of utmost importance.

     The American Lung Association of Hawaii and the American
Heart Association both submitted testimony supporting the
licensure provisions of this measure but opposed penalizing
minors for the possession of tobacco products.  Testimony in
opposition to this measure was submitted by the Office of the
Public Defender and Legislative Information Services of Hawaii.


 
a                                                     
 
                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 873
                                   Page 2


     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
measure by:

     (1)  Providing that all liquor license fees and tobacco
          license fees shall be maintained in separate accounts;

     (2)  Changing the effective date from July 1, 1999 to July
          1, 2000; 

     (3)  Adding a saving provision; and

     (4)  Making technical, non-substantive changes for the
          purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
613, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third
Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 613, S.D. 2.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
a