STAND. COM. REP. NO. 517-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 2155

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 2155 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase the marriage license fee to:

(1) Support the Hawaii Birth Defects Program;

(2) Fund modernization of the vital statistics system; and

(3) More fairly compensate marriage license agents.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services and Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that the portion of the marriage license fee that supports the Hawaii Birth Defects Program has not increased since 2002. However, since that time the Hawaii Birth Defects Program's salary and fringe expenses have almost doubled and the program will not have enough funding for operating expenses for fiscal year 2022-2023. Your Committee further finds that the current compensation for non-civil service marriage license agents has not changed since 1998 and is no longer enough to meet the operating costs of marriage license agents.

Additionally, your Committee finds that there has been an increased demand for marriage certificates to meet the required federal REAL ID standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. However, the Vital Statistics Improvement Special Fund is not sufficient to modernize and automate the State's twenty-year-old vital statistics registration system. Your Committee finds that adding revenue from increased marriage license fees will allow necessary upgrades.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2155, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2155, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair