STAND. COM. REP. NO. 574

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1370

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1370 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LICENSES TO SOLEMNIZE MARRIAGES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a uniform fee for licenses to solemnize marriages; and

(2) Specify in what amount and to which fund the fee shall be deposited.

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

Your Committee finds that there is a fee for the procurement of a civil license to solemnize marriages. However, neither religious nor judicial licenses to solemnize marriages require fees. To rectify this inequitable practice, this measure establishes a uniform fee for licenses to solemnize marriages.

Your Committee has considered the testimony of the Department of Health and consistent therewith has amended this measure by:

(1) Establishing a standard license, valid for one year from the date of issuance, and a short-term license, valid for sixty days from the date of issuance, to solemnize marriages;

(2) Establishing a fee of $100 per year for the issuance of a standard license and $25 per sixty-day period for the issuance of a short-term license;

(3) Specifying that for each standard license fee, $75 shall be deposited to the Vital Statistics Improvement Special Fund and $25 to the General Fund;

(4) Specifying that for each short-term license fee, $20 shall be deposited to the Vital Statistics Improvement Special Fund and $5 to the General Fund;

(5) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1370, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1370, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

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

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair