CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 72-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2008

RE:    H.B. No. 2253

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 2253, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AMENDING OR REPEALING VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 281, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES, INTOXICATING LIQUOR, FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLARIFYING LANGUAGE, CORRECTING ERRORS, AND DELETING UNNECESSARY AND OBSOLETE PROVISIONS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to clarify, update, and make corrections to Hawaii's liquor law to reflect current practices and procedures relating to licensing, hearings, and other regulation of the liquor industry.

The amendments in this bill were the result of a comprehensive review of Chapter 281, Hawaii Revised Statutes, held at the Annual State Liquor Conference in October 2007, and conducted by the four county liquor departments and their liquor commissions and adjudication boards, members of the Hawaii Hotel Association and Hawaii Retail Liquor Dealers Association, and representatives of liquor wholesale dealers.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by removing:

(1)  Section 9, which made amendments to section 281-41, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to license transfers;

(2)  Section 19, which prohibited the sale of intoxicating liquor in any form other than for consumption as a beverage; and

(3)  Section 20, which allowed the imposition of both a fine and a license suspension on licensees and increased the maximum fine to $5,000.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2253, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2253, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair	____________________________ KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Co-Chair
	____________________________ ROBERT N. HERKES, Co-Chair
	____________________________ TOMMY WATERS, Co-Chair