STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2228

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2013

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation and Energy and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2013 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIL IDENTIFICATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide homebound individuals an option to renew their identification cards without going to a satellite city hall by requiring the Department of Transportation to develop rules to allow homebound individuals to renew their identification card by means other than an in person appearance, if the individual has a severe disability that is certified by a physician.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i and one individual. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Transportation.

Your Committees find that individuals who are homebound due to a severe disability should not be denied identification cards because they are unable to renew their cards in person. Providing these homebound individuals an option to renew their cards without needing to make an in person appearance is prudent. However, your Committees find that limiting this alternate renewal option to individuals who have a physician's letter certifying severe disability does not achieve the full intent of this measure. The lack of physicians in certain areas could mean that getting a physician's letter is just as impractical as making an in person appearance for renewal.

Thus, your Committees have amended this measure to broaden the scope of acceptable documentation certifying the severe disability by changing the phrase "physician's letter" to "letter from a licensed primary care provider".

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Energy and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2013, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2013, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and Energy and Human Services,

________________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair