STAND. COM. REP. NO. 130

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 806

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 806 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIREWORKS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Honolulu Police Department and Department of Law Enforcement to conduct sting operations on Oahu to enforce fireworks ordinances or laws. This measure also authorizes a court to order the forfeiture of one-half of any pension of an Employees' Retirement System member, former member, or retiree upon conviction of the individual for a felony related to certain uses of prohibited fireworks.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement and four individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of the Public Defender; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO. Your Committee received comments on this measure from two individuals.

Your Committee finds that the State's communities deserve to live in peace and security without the widespread use of illegal fireworks that pose an extreme danger and lethal risk to public health and safety. Your Committee believes this measure is an effective approach in deterring the use of illegal fireworks by using intelligence-led policing and criminal surveillance of illegal fireworks.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language which would have authorized a court to order the forfeiture of one-half of any pension of an Employees' Retirement System member, former member, or retirant upon conviction of the individual for a felony related to certain uses of prohibited fireworks;

(2) Removing the appropriation to the Honolulu Police Department;

(3) Changing the appropriation to the Department of Law Enforcement to an unspecified amount;

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2025-2026 and $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2026-2027.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 806, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 806, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

JACKSON D. SAYAMA, Chair