Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 602, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require pawnshops and secondhand dealers to file daily electronic reports of pawnshop transactions with the police department.

The Honolulu Police Department, Hawaii Tourism Authority, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and an individual testified in support of this measure. The Hawaii Pawnbrokers Association, Waipahu Pawn Shop, Kaneohe Pawn, and one individual opposed the measure.

Your Committee finds that stolen property is typically sold to pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers, and that access by the police to current and timely information on merchandise received by these businesses increases the likelihood of recovering stolen property before it is sold or destroyed.

This measure supports law enforcement activities and facilitates the investigation of property theft by requiring pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers to electronically file daily reports on pawn transactions through the Internet or a computer disk using police-designated software. Additionally, this measure authorizes the police to require electronic photographs of merchandise and to make them available to the public, if appropriate.

Your Committee has amended this measure:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 602, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 602, S.D. 2.