STAND. COM. REP. NO.  177-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1845

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1845 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO JURY TRIAL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase the threshold of the value in controversy requirement for jury trials in civil cases at common law in the circuit court from an amount in excess of $5,000 to an amount in excess of $10,000.

An individual testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee notes that the threshold was last amended in 1989.  Accordingly, an update to the amount in controversy threshold is warranted.

     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 H.B. No. 1845 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair