Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 1306, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with greater flexibility in recapturing the cost of providing intrastate telecommunications relay services in the State for persons with hearing and speech disabilities.

The Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, PUC, Disability and Communication Access Board, Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii, and several concerned citizens testified in support of this measure. Verizon Hawaii and Verizon Wireless commented on the bill.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1306, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.