STAND. COM. REP. NO. 189

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1229

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 1229 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COURTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to exempt all proceedings relating to parking violations under certain administrative rules from the exclusive, original jurisdiction of the environmental courts.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary and Department of Land and Natural Resources.

     Your Committee finds that according to the written testimony submitted by the Judiciary, during the last eighteen months, twenty-seven percent of the cases heard by the environmental courts have been for motor vehicle infractions.  This measure allows the environmental courts to focus on environmental cases by removing from the exclusive, original jurisdiction of the environmental courts all proceedings relating to parking violations under certain administrative rules.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1229 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair