STAND. COM. REP. NO.  641

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 475

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Development & Business, to which was referred H.B. No. 475 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOVIE THEATRES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make permanent Act 39, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, which established the requirement that movie theaters must, under certain conditions and circumstances, provide open movie captioning and audio descriptions of motion pictures.

The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability and Communication Access Board, Aloha State Association of the Deaf, Isle Interpret, LLC, The Georgia E. Morikawa Center, and several concerned individuals supported this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Extending the sunset date of Act 39 to July 1, 2020;

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to conduct a survey and report to the Legislature on the operational and financial impact that Act 39 has had on movie theaters that are required to comply with the Act;

     (3)  Amending the effective date to July 1, 2038, to facilitate further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Business that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 475, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 475, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Business,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair