STAND. COM. REP. NO. 549-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1922
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which
was referred H.B. No. 1922 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOBACCO,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to:

     (1)  Prohibit the possession and use of tobacco products by
          minors under eighteen years of age; and

     (2)  Penalize minors who possess or use tobacco with a fine
          of $500 for the first offense and a fine between $500
          and $2,000 for subsequent offenses.

     The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and
County of Honolulu, the Honolulu Police Department, the
Legislative Information Services of Hawaii, and concerned
individuals testified in support of the measure.  The American
Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the Coalition for a
Tobacco Free Hawaii, and the Hawaii Nurses' Association testified
in opposition to the measure.  The Department of Health and the
Office of Youth Services provided comments.

     Your Committee finds that only the purchase of tobacco
products by minors is presently prohibited.  Prohibiting the
possession of tobacco products by minors is a logical extension
to the prohibition on the purchase of tobacco products by minors. 


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 549-00
                                 Page 2

 
     Your Committee has amended the bill by raising the
conforming penalty for minors purchasing tobacco from $10 to $20
for the first offense and conforming the penalty for possession
of tobacco products by minors with that of purchase of tobacco
products by minors.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 1922, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No.
1922, H.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary &
                                   Hawaiian Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair