STAND. COM. REP. 961
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
RE: S.B. No. 1315
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 1315 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE FRAUD,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to:
(1) Designate the Motor Vehicle Insurance Fraud Investigations Unit of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), a branch rather than a unit of the Insurance Division;
(2) Clarify the authority of the Insurance Fraud Investigations Branch (Branch) to not only hire but also retain by contract various professionals for the investigation and prosecution of insurance fraud;
(3) Allow investigator assistants and auditors to apply for and execute search warrants and act as process servers; and
(4) Require the Branch to implement an insurance fraud educational program for the public and industry.
Testimony in support of this measure was received from DCCA.
Your Committee has determined that these changes are necessary to strengthen the Insurance Division's ability to prevent and combat motor vehicle insurance fraud.
Your Committee has amended this bill by making conforming amendments to sections 431:2-204 and 431:10C-307.7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, that change "fraud investigations unit" to "fraud investigations branch."
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. 1315, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1315, 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,
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____________________________ KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Chair |
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