STAND. COM. REP. NO 80

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 123

       S.D. 1

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. 123 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NAMES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Repeal the requirement that the middle or last names, or any combination of such names, the middle and last name or names to be used after a marriage or civil union be legally used at any time, past or present, by either spouse or civil union partner, as applicable;

     (2)  Clarify that a person is not required to change that person's middle or last name upon entering into a marriage or civil union; and

     (3)  Allow parties to a marriage or civil union to choose any middle or last name to use upon entering into a marriage or civil union.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from three individuals.

     Your Committee finds that existing law allows spouses in a marriage or partners in a civil union to declare the middle and last names each will use as a married person or civil union partner as long as the middle or last name chosen by each was legally used at any time, past or present, by either spouse or partner.  This measure reflects the current trend and practices with regard to selecting a middle or last name upon marriage or a civil union by allowing spouses or partners to choose any middle or last name or not change their names at all.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 7, 2059, to encourage further discussion.

     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. 123, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 123, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair