SSCR3565

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3565

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NOS. 752, 753

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 752 and 753, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

Commission to Promote Uniform Legislation

G.M. No. 752

PETER HAMASAKI,

for a term to expire 6-30-2016; and

G.M. No. 753

KEVIN SUMIDA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2016,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Peter Hamasaki and Kevin Sumida to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to serve on the Commission to Promote Uniform Legislation.

PETER HAMASAKI

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Peter Hamasaki from the Department of the Attorney General, Honolulu Chamber of Commerce, and nine individuals.

Mr. Hamasaki earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkley and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with highest honors. He received his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Stanford University Law School. While in law school, he served as the Associate Editor of Stanford Law Review and was the recipient of the Hilmer Ohleman Prize. He is licensed to practice law in Hawaii.

Mr. Hamasaki is a Partner at McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP, and formerly served as a Foreign Law Associate in Tokyo, Japan, for the law firm Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. He is a member of the American Bar Association and Hawaii State Bar Association. He also serves as a Director on the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce where he is the Chairperson for the Chamber's Government Affairs Committee.

Mr. Hamasaki is nominated for reappointment to the Commission to Promote Uniform Legislation. As a Commissioner, he has been conscientious, dedicated, and hard working, and is described by his fellow members on the Commission as a consummate team player who volunteers to testify at legislative hearings on a number of measures to enact proposed uniform laws. He worked with the Probate Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association on the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act and with the Bureau of Conveyances on the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act. He is an active participant in all phases of preparing a uniform act for enactment, including working on drafting committees to discuss and draft new acts for presentation to all Commissioners across the nation at annual summer meetings, attending annual meetings to consider and finalize the products of all drafting committees, and preparing testimony and testifying in support of the uniform acts at the Legislature.

KEVIN SUMIDA

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Kevin Sumida from the Department of the Attorney General and five individuals.

Mr. Sumida graduated cum laude from Case Western University where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is licensed to practice law in Hawaii.

Mr. Sumida currently serves as Senior Principal at Kevin Sumida & Associates where he focuses his litigation practice primarily on bad faith defense and insurance defense, including personal injury, construction litigation, products liability, antitrust, and coverage disputes. Since 1982, Mr. Sumida has served on the Board of Directors of the Farrington Alumni & Community Foundation, which is the first nonprofit private foundation in Hawaii supporting a public high school. He also serves as a coach for the Farrington High School Moot Court Competition as well as a judge for the William S. Richardson School of Law's Client Counseling Competition.

Mr. Sumida is nominated for reappointment to the Commission to Promote Uniform Legislation. As a Commissioner, his fellow members on the Commission described him as conscientious, dedicated, and hard working. He has served on the Drafting Committee on the Harmonization of Business Entities Act, the Enactment Committee for the Unsworn Declarations Act, and has begun serving on the Drafting Committee to Revise the Residential Landlord Tenant Code. The Landlord Tenant Code has become an important piece of legislation in Hawaii because it affects the lives of many. While his work on these drafting committees may sometimes involve matters outside of his normal practice of law, he has always been an active participant in the review of the proposed uniform laws and makes valuable contributions to the final products. He is available to testify at legislative hearings on bills for uniform acts and to provide background information to legislators and all others interested in the acts. He plays a vital role in ensuring that the products of the Commission are enacted by the Legislature to benefit the State.

Accordingly, based on the testimony submitted, your Committee finds that Peter Hamasaki and Kevin Sumida are exceptionally qualified to serve on the Commission to Promote Uniform Legislation. The nominees' professional experiences will serve the Commission and public well.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

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

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair