STAND

STAND. COM. REP. 3267

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 2883

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2883, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WIRELESS ENHANCED 911 SERVICE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public by funding and implementing an enhanced wireless 911 system designed to route a wireless 911 call to a public safety answering point along with the wireless caller's identification and location.

Among other things, this bill establishes:

(1) A monthly surcharge on mobile phone connections;

(2) A special fund to receive the proceeds of the surcharge;

(3) A board to oversee collection of the surcharge proceeds and reimbursement from the special fund of the cost of implementing wireless enhanced 911 service; and

(4) A requirement that the board report annually to the Legislature.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing them with the provisions of S.B. No. 3189, S.D. 2. The measure, as amended, provides for enhanced wireless 911 services, but with the following differences:

(1) Deleting the provision in section -3 allowing the Department of Accounting and General Services to receive an administrative fee of five per cent of the deposits into the fund because it may already recover administrative costs pursuant to section 36-30, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(2) Moving the language authorizing a wireless provider to recover Phase I and II costs from the surcharge fund from section -4 dealing with collection of the surcharge to section -5 dealing with recovery from the fund.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2883, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2883, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

		____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair