STAND. COM. REP. NO. 310

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 747

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 747 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PETROLEUM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Agriculture to adopt rules requiring retail gas and diesel dealers to post the amount of federal, state, and local taxes paid on each gallon of fuel by January 1, 2012.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Elle Cochran, Maui County Council; Natalie Iwasa; Andrea Hamblin; Walter Enomoto; Dan Cohen; Jeff Stark; Herman Goldman; Patricia Huntley; S. Nakata; Janet Powell; Margaret Enomoto; Donnie McGean; Roland Chen; Wendy Heyd; Todd Melton; Rita Goldman; Margaret Dalzell; Jeff Soulier; Andra R. Hayase; Carol Reimann; Shawn Singleton; Michael R. Gibbons; and Tom Enomoto.

     Your Committee finds that consumers have little to no information regarding the taxes they pay on one of their primary expenses and that this is inconsistent with nearly all other purchases and billed expenses which require all applicable taxes to be clearly shown on their respective receipts or invoices.  This measure will give consumers clear information on the taxes that governments are imposing on the price of gasoline and diesel fuel thereby allowing consumers to better understand where their money is going and to what they can attribute price increases to at the pump.

     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 S.B. No. 747 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

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

____________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair