Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 181 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to create a statewide licensure mechanism for regulating the sale of tobacco in retail outlets.

Testimony in support of this measure was received by the Department of Health and the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii. Testimony in opposition to this measure was received by the Department of Taxation.

Your Committee finds that cigarette smoking among Hawaii youth and young adults is now on the rise. Today, more high school students report being regular smokers (28%) than do adults (18.4%), and the sale of cigarettes to children and adolescents is, unfortunately, too common a practice in our State. Thus, the creation of a licensing mechanism is essential to achieve a comprehensive tobacco prevention, education, and control program.

Your Committee has amended this measure by adding a new section to require that the Department of Health and the Department of Taxation jointly determine which department is most appropriate to carry out the regulations under this Act, and by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 181, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 181, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing and Judiciary.