STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2429

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2293
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and
Labor and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2293
entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide that a request for
an approval filed with the Insurance Commissioner (Commissioner),
is deemed granted on the thirtieth day after the filing of the
request if the Commissioner has taken no action to grant or deny
the request.

     The Insurance Commissioner submitted testimony in support of
the measure.

     This measure, establishes a maximum thirty-day period for
the Commissioner to review and grant or deny a request for
approval, and effectuates the Legislature's mandate to agencies
under Act 164, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998, that maximum time
periods be established for the granting or denial of a business
or development-related permit, license, or approval.
Additionally, and consistent with the Insurance Division's
efforts to streamline its operations, the measure also repeals
the requirement that the division hold public hearings on
workers' compensation rate filings that may result in rate
increases or decreases. 


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2429
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     Your Committees recognize that the Insurance Division
receives an enormous amount of filings and that there are two
types of "approvals".  The first type is an approval required by
law and the second type involves an insurer's request to the
division to "approve" materials filed.  It is your Committees'
intent that automatic approval apply only to those approvals
required by law.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Labor and
Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are
in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2293 and
recommend that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the
calendar for Third Reading.


                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Commerce and
                                   Consumer Protection and Labor
                                   and Environment,



____________________________       ______________________________
BOB NAKATA, Chair                  BRIAN KANNO, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

 
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