STAND. COM. REP. NO.  170

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 314

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns, to which was referred H.B. No. 314 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SMALL BUSINESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to support small businesses in Hawaii by re-establishing and appropriating funding for the Office of the Small Business Defender.

     The Hawaii Business League supported this bill.  The Department of the  Attorney General opposed the bill.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, Office of the Ombudsman, and Small Business Regulatory Review Board commented.

     Your Committee finds that upon written request by a small business, the Small Business Defender would represent the small business in any proceeding involving a civil citation issued by the State or a county, in which the potential penalties are no more than $25,000 or will not result in the suspension or revocation of a license.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2034, to encourage further discussion of the measure; and

(2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 314, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 314, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Legislative Management.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns,

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair