STAND. COM. REP. NO.  706

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 206

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 206, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENHANCED 911 SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to apply a surcharge for advanced 911 services on prepaid wireless telecommunications service in a manner equivalent to the enhanced 911 surcharge applicable to other cellular and telephone services.

The Department of Accounting and General Services, State Fire Council, Enhanced 911 Board, Office of Enterprise Technology Services, Maui Police Department, Hawaii Police Department, Honolulu Police Department, Kauai Police Department, and Kauai Fire Department testified in support of this measure.  The Retail Merchants of Hawaii testified in opposition to this measure.  The Tax Foundation of Hawaii and a concerned individual provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Enhanced 911 Board to submit a report to the Legislature twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2019 on the prepaid telecommunications wireless E911 surcharge, including its impacts on purchasers of prepaid telecommunications wireless service and businesses selling the service;

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2112, and inserting a repeal date of June 30, 2022; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     Should your Committee on Finance consider this measure further, your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce respectfully requests that consideration be given to reducing the enhanced 911 surcharge applicable to cellular and telephone services to be equivalent to the prepaid wireless E911 surcharge contained in this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 206, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 206, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair