STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2725

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2523
                                        S.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B.
No. 2523, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to cap fees for copying state
and county government records at 25 cents per page.

     Your Committee finds that government functions require the
collection and maintenance of a variety of records, from vital
records detailing births, deaths, and marriages, to property
records and tax records.  Record keeping is an important function
of government offices.  Residents and others who may require
copies of these records as proof of ownership, transfer, and
other uses must go to the government office concerned and pay for
copies.  It is important to the democratic process that citizens
are not deterred from acquiring these copies by exorbitant
charges.  By limiting copying fees to 25 cents per page, and
allowing fees equal to or less than the cost of reproducing an
oversized record, there will be a balance between the need for
information on the part of the requester and the need to recoup
costs on the part of the government office that has charge over
the record.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your

 
a                                                      SB2523 SD1
 
 
                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2725
                                   Page 2


Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
2523, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
a                                                      SB2523 SD1