STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1944

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1165

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1165, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require a license or state identification card to include a person's full legal name, date of birth, gender designation, residence address, and license number; and

(2) Specify gender designation options of F, M, or X.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Transportation, Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women, American Association of University Women of Hawaii, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Pride at Work Hawaii, Rainbow Family 808, Lambda Law Student Association, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i, GLSEN Hawaii, Hawai‘i Health and Harm Reduction Center, O‘ahu County Democrats Legislative Priorities Committee, Hawaii Women's Coalition, and eleven individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii has one of the largest transgender and gender non-conforming populations in the United States.  Binary gender and sex markers on any form of identification can cause difficult and invasive questions and increases the likelihood of discrimination for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals when seeking employment, interacting with law enforcement, renting an apartment, and many other public situations.  This measure will help to avoid discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming individuals by expanding gender categories on government identification.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2020.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1165, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1165, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

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

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair