STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1296-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: S.B. No. 2480
                                     S.D. 1
                                     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 S.B. No. 2480, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ANNULMENT, DIVORCE, AND
     SEPARATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to give the family courts
discretion to permit service by mail in lieu of publication where
a plaintiff files an affidavit attesting to impoverishment and
that the whereabouts of the defendant are unknown.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the
State Commission on the Status of Women, and Hawaii Women's
Coalition.  Testimony was also received from the Judiciary.

     Your Committee finds that the provisions of this bill will
assist those with low incomes in changing marital status.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting the
proposed language of subsection (e) to Section 580-3, Hawaii
Revised Statutes, and replacing it with the following provisions: 

     (1)  Mandating the court to order that service may be made
          by registered or certified mail where a plaintiff files
          an affidavit attesting to impoverishment and that the
          whereabouts of the person sought to be served are
          unknown; 

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1296-00
                                 Page 2

 
     (2)  Providing that service shall be completed thirty days
          after mailing; and 

     (3)  Mandating that plaintiff must attest to the fact of the
          mailing by affidavit with attachments.

     Your Committee has further amended this measure by deleting
the technical, nonsubstantive proposed changes.

     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 S.B. No. 2480, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as S.B. No. 2480, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be placed on the
calendar for Third Reading.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair