STAND. COM. REP. NO. 687-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2557
                                     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. 2557 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND
     HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to clarify the law pertaining to
disclosure of records relating to the administration and
enforcement of the occupational safety and health law.

     The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations testified
in support of this bill.

     Your Committee finds that it is in the best interest of the
public to reduce ambiguity as to inspection and investigative
records that may be disclosed to the public after a case has been
closed, and to free state personnel from being compelled to
testify in civil proceedings in which the State has no interest.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Replacing the term "compliance officer" with "any
          employee of the department acting within the scope of
          the employee's office, employment, or authority under
          this chapter" to encompass various position
          descriptions; and


 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 687-00
                                 Page 2

 
     (2)  Clarifying that the prohibition against providing
          testimony applies only to the employee's duties under
          this chapter.

     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. 2557, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No.
2557, H.D. 1.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair