STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1362

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 331

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 S.B. No. 331 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Make permanent the requirement that certain motion picture theater owners and operators provide open movie captioning during at least two showings per week, including at least one showing per week that features open movie captioning on a Saturday or Sunday; and

(2) Repeal the option that certain motion picture theater owners and operators provide personal closed captioning screenings by means of lightweight eyewear.

The Office of Language Access, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women, Disability and Communication Access Board, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Aloha Independent Living Hawai‘i, Special Education Advisory Council, Aloha State Association of the Deaf, and many individuals testified in support of this measure. The National Association of Theatre Owners testified in opposition to this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its effective date to January 1, 2050; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

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 S.B. No. 331, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 331, 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