STAND. COM. REP. NO. 983-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: S.B. No. 2808
                                     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 Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which
was referred S.B. No. 2808 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide for greater stability
in the legal workforce representing consumers before the Public
Utilities Commission (PUC) and better protection of the interests
of consumers in PUC regulation, by:

     (1)  Authorizing the Division of Consumer Advocacy (DCA) of
          the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to
          retain its own legal counsel; and

     (2)  Appropriating funds for two DCA staff attorney
          positions.

     The DCA, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric
Light Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, Ltd., Kauai Electric,
The Gas Company, GTE Hawaiian Tel, and a private individual
provided testimony in support of this measure.  The PUC supported
the measure to the extent that the DCA felt it would improve its
general duty of representing consumers.

     Upon consideration of this measure, your Committee has
amended this bill by replacing its contents with the substantive
provisions of H.B. No. 2467, H.D. 1, a similar bill that passed
Third Reading in the House earlier in this session.

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 983-00
                                 Page 2

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of S.B. No. 2808, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No.
2808, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Consumer
                                   Protection and Commerce,



                                   ______________________________
                                   RON MENOR, Chair