STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3126

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 3151

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Energy and Environment, to which was referred H.B. No. 3151, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRONIC PERMITTING FEE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow certain environmental programs of the Department of Health to conduct business electronically and withhold fees or charges associated with electronic or credit card processing that is owed by the Department to an electronic or credit card services provider.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, the Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC, and three individuals.

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Health processes hundreds of permit applications on an annual basis relating to environmental programs.  This measure serves to increase the efficiency of the permit application process and the collection of fees, and thereby save considerable staff time and minimize data entry errors.

     Your Committee also finds that this measure will encourage the Department of Health to utilize this electronic method since it allows the Department of Health to deduct the processing and credit card fees that are generally charged to the Department.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing it with the contents of S.B. No. 3073, S.D. 1.  The amended measure achieves identical goals of the original measure and correctly references chapters 340E and 340F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, rather than chapters 342E and 342F, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 3151, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 3151, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy and Environment,

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair