STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2110

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2663

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2663 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FILING FEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to change the filing fee schedule for paternity actions by establishing an initial filing fee of $100 and eliminating fees to file motions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Health Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i and Domestic Violence Action Center.

Your Committee finds that the different filing fee schedules for divorce and paternity actions creates a burdensome and confusing situation for low-income litigants. Although the waiver of initial filing fees for termination of parental right actions, including paternity actions, was intended to reduce the burden on unmarried litigants who may have less ability to pay the initial filing fee, the fees to file subsequent motions still create significant ongoing expense in paternity cases. Eliminating fees to file motions and increasing the initial filing fee in paternity cases to match that of divorce cases will create uniformity in filing fees between divorce and paternity actions, making the courtroom process financially predictable for the litigants, which is particularly important for low-income litigants.

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 S.B. No. 2663 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair