STAND. COM. REP. NO. 159

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1009

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1009 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide greater accessibility to entertainment to the State's deaf and hard of hearing population by:

(1) Requiring movie theaters to provide at least two showings per week per movie offered with open movie captioning and making this requirement permanent; and

(2) Removing a movie theater's option to provide lightweight eyewear in lieu of open movie captioning.

The Disability and Communication Access Board, Office of Language Access, Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women, Special Education Advisory Council, Isle Interpret, LLC, SAG-AFTRA, Aloha State Association of the Deaf, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to January 1, 2050, to promote further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1009, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1009, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair