STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1265

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 472

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 472, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DIGITAL IDENTIFICATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require digitized identification cards to be accepted as a valid form of identification, under certain conditions; and

(2) Authorize state and county law enforcement agencies to accept a digitized identification card as proof of a person's identity.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from one individual.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation.

Your Committees find that as personal mobile device use continues to grow in popularity and accessibility, several states have authorized the use of digitized identification cards by residents to establish their identities for the purposes of consumer transactions and interactions with law enforcement under certain conditions. In line with this movement to streamline processes of identification, this measure will authorize the use of digitized identification cards in the State under certain conditions, providing an alternative method of proving identification in appropriate circumstances where an individual does not have a physical form of identification on their person.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that acceptance of a state-issued digitized identification card as a valid form of identification for consumers is discretionary, rather than required;

(2) Specifying that beginning July 1, 2027, all state and county law enforcement agencies may accept digitized identification cards as a method to prove a person's identity where a physical license or identification card is currently required; and

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2077, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 472, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 472, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair

________________________________ BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair