STAND. COM. REP. NO. 214

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1332

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1332 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO METAL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to add the offense of theft of copper, add special requirements for the purchase of copper by scrap dealers, and hold scrap dealers accountable for violations of section 445-233, Hawaii Revised Statutes, in order to curb the recent rise in costly copper thefts. 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Attorney General, the Honolulu Police Department, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Maui, and Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by Okuda Metal, Inc. 

     Your Committee finds that the price of copper has increased dramatically over the past few years and as a result, copper theft has become a serious and rapidly growing crime.  This new type of theft has devastating effects on the entire community.

     Your Committee notes that it received testimony from Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. stating that the sheer volume of copper wire purchased and installed throughout their system makes it virtually impossible to accurately track wire location with the material information required.  Therefore, on passing this measure out, your Committee asks that the Committee on Judiciary and Labor consider exempting public utilities from the sellers' requirements contained in this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to make technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and style, and added an effective date of upon approval.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1332, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1332, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair