STAND. COM. REP. NO.1518

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 483

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 483 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RESTRAINT OF TRADE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to revise Hawaii's antitrust law by:

(1) Clarifying the rights of private individuals who have been directly injured by parties engaged in unfair competition;

(2) Clarifying that the State Attorney General is authorized to seek threefold compensatory damages in class action suits on behalf of indirect purchasers filed against parties engaged in unfair competition; and

(3) Making technical changes to the consent judgment provisions of the law.

Testimony in support of this bill was submitted by the Attorney General. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs commented.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's antitrust laws are necessary to ensure fair competition in the business community. Your Committee further finds that this bill is beneficial to the Attorney General's enforcement efforts.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 483 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair