STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1124-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

RE:   S.B. No. 2565

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2565, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to extend the deadline for Hawaii's Civil Rights Commission (HCRC) to complete its rulemaking process to allow HCRC to conform state law protections against disability discrimination to the final federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) administrative regulation guidelines.

     HCRC, Disability and Communication Access Board, and a concerned individual supported this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Increasing the HCRC extension for completing its rulemaking process to 12 months after the EEOC publishes final rules;

(2)  Establishing factors that must be considered by HCRC when determining whether to approve or deny a request that a witness' identity or statement be kept confidential;

(3)  Defining the term "confidential witness statement"; and

(4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2565, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2565, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

JON RIKI KARAMATSU, Chair