STAND. COM. REP. NO. 557

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1371

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. 1371 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FEES FOR MARRIAGE LICENSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Increase the marriage license fee from $60 to $100;

(2) Increase the compensation for a marriage license agent from $9 to $15 per license;

(3) Authorize deposits of marriage license fees into the Vital Statistics Improvement Special Fund; and

(4) Redistribute the marriage license fee among various domestic violence prevention special funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Domestic Violence Action Center.

Your Committee finds that the marriage license fee is collected from couples when the Department of Health or its agents issue a marriage license. Despite transacting a majority of marriage licenses, the Department of Health Office of Health Status Monitoring receives no portion of the fee. This measure authorizes the deposit of marriage license fees into the Vital Statistics Improvement Special Fund to allow for modernization, quality improvement, and customer satisfaction activities within the Office of Health Status Monitoring.

Your Committee notes that, per testimony submitted by the Department of Health, the marriage license fee required by this measure, as currently written, is relatively high in comparison to those of other states. However, the higher fee in this measure allows for contributions into multiple domestic violence special funds that ultimately benefit the people of Hawaii. Should your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that they further consider the amount of the marriage license fee.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) 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. 1371, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1371, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair