Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2760 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase the marriage license fee from $50 to $90, and to allocate $10 to the Vital Statistics Improvement Special Fund for upgrading the computer hardware and software for the vital statistics system, and $9.50 to a yet-to-be-established Birth Defect Special Fund for operating a yet-to-be-established Birth Defects Program.

Your Committees received testimony in favor of this measure from the Lieutenant Governor, Department of Health, March of Dimes, and two individuals. Your Committees received testimony opposing this measure from Hawaii State Trial Judges Association, Hawaii Catholic Conference, Nu'uanu Baptist Church, and an individual.

Your Committees find that this measure provides for a more streamlined, efficient, and convenient process for registering and recording marriage events occurring in the State with the Department of Health. This measure would allow the issuance of electronic rather than paper-based marriage licenses allowing those who perform marriages to verify the existence of a marriage license electronically as well as register the marriage through the Internet. Furthermore, this measure would provide more effective oversight of those who solemnize marriages by implementing an annual renewal requirement to help the Department of Health keep updated records of officiants.

Your Committees have amended this measure in the following ways:

Your Committees have also made nonsubstantive, technical changes.

Your Committees are not agreeable to the marriage license fee increase of $50 to $90, but looks forward to further discussion and consideration on such an increase.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2760, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2760, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.