STAND. COM. REP. NO. 246

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 568

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 568 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DRIVER'S LICENSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to exclude gender or sex markers from limited purpose driver's licenses and limited purpose provisional driver's licenses.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women; LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii; Aloha State Association of the Deaf; Hawai‘i Health and Harm Reduction Center; We Are One, Inc.; O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; and twenty individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii has one of the largest percentage of transgender individuals in the United States. Your Committee further finds that gender and sex markers on a form of identification can cause difficulty and invasive questions from unknowing individuals, creating uncomfortable situations for transgender and non-gender conforming individuals. Your Committee also finds that sex and gender markers can increase the chances of discrimination for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in many public situations. This measure would remove gender and sex markers from a limited purpose driver's license and a limited purpose provisional license, thereby allowing the transgender and gender non-conforming community to avoid discriminatory or other unwarranted treatment.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 568 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means.

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

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair