Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 720, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to prohibit exclusion from, denial by, and discrimination by county or county-funded programs against disabled persons because of their disabilities.

Currently, State law protects disabled persons from discriminatory practices by State or state-funded programs because of their disabilities. This bill extends this protection to the county level.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this bill from the Lieutenant Governor, Disability and Communication Access Board, State Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities, Hawaii Centers for Independent Living-East Hawaii, Mental Health Association in Hawaii, Hawaii Centers for Independent Living, Aloha State Association of the Deaf, Deaf of the Pacific Rim, Hawaii Services on Deafness, InterAgency Coordination Council Organization, and several concerned individuals. The Attorney General and the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission testified in support of the intent of the measure.

Your Committee has amended this bill by changing the effective date to January 1, 2003.

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. 720, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 720, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.