STAND. COM. REP. NO. 83

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 172

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 172 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIREWORKS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Require the labeling of display fireworks;

     (2)  Impose certain time restrictions on the use of certain fireworks;

     (3)  Require fireworks licenses to provide certain information to the appropriate county fire chief prior to booking shipment; and

     (4)  Authorize the county fire chief to:

     (A)  Conduct an inspection of display personnel and sites to determine compliance with the county code and current national fire protection safety standards; and

     (B)  Immediately revoke or suspend any permit for display of aerial devices for specified safety reasons.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one state department and one county department.  Comments were received from one individual.

     Your Committee finds that this measure facilitates the arrest and prosecution for the purchase, possession, setting off, igniting, or discharging of fireworks.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying the definition of "permanent" for precision and simplicity; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 172, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 172, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair