Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1778, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require that the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs conduct investigations of unlicensed contractor activity within five working days following the receipt of the complaint.

Your Committee recognizes the importance of resolving complaints as quickly as possible, but still has concerns about the amount of resources required to initiate and complete investigations as required by this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that, upon receipt of the complaint, the investigation must commence, rather than be conducted, within a certain period of time and by extending that period of time from five to seven working days. Your Committee has also added the requirement that the investigation be completed within a twenty working day period.

Furthermore, your Committee has included an unspecified appropriation from the compliance resolution fund to assist with the costs of investigations, and has changed the effective date of the bill to facilitate further discussion.

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 S.B. No. 1778, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1778, S.D. 2.