STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2553

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2474

       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 Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2474 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to increase from $3,500 to $5,000 the amount in controversy requirement for the Small Claims Division of the District Court (popularly known as "small claims court").

     Your Committee finds that under present law, the amount in controversy requirement for the Small Claims Division of the District Court is $3,500 and $20,000 for the rest of the District Courts.  Your Committee finds that raising the amount in controversy requirement for the small claims court will result in a more efficient distribution of case loads for the District Courts.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical nonsubstantive change.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2474, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2474, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair