STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2607

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2739

       S.D. 2

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2739, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY REVIEW BOARD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to ensure the stability of the Small Business Regulatory Review Board by:

     (1)  Authorizing the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to charge fees to an agency that submits rules for review to the Small Business Regulatory Review Board to offset the expenses of the Board; and

     (2)  Requiring agencies to notify the Small Business Regulatory Review Board, on an annual basis, of any rules that affect small business and that need to be amended or repealed to conform to statutory amendments or repeals.

     Written comments in opposition of this measure were submitted by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

     Your Committee finds that authorizing the Small Business Regulatory Review Board to charge fees to offset the costs incurred by the Board in conducting its administrative rules review will help ensure a stable funding source for its operations.  Your Committee also finds that requiring agencies to inform the Board of any rules affecting small business that need to be amended or repealed will improve the efficiency of the administrative rules review process.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date from July 1, 2012, to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2739, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2739, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair