STAND. COM. REP. NO. 695

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1419

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1419 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GASOLINE PRICE GOUGING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to protect Hawaii consumers from price gouging in the purchase of gasoline during periods of abnormal disruption of the marketplace caused by extraordinary adverse circumstances. 

 

     Specifically, this measure includes gasoline price gouging as an unfair or deceptive trade practice under section 480-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Hawaii Transportation Association, and one individual.  The Western States Petroleum Association submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.

 

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii's geographic isolation makes it vulnerable to high gasoline prices, especially during times of catastrophic world events and other disruptions to the marketplace.  The intent of this measure is to ensure that Hawaii consumers are protected from price gouging by making it an unfair or deceptive trade practice for any gasoline-related business to sell or offer to sell any gasoline product for an amount that represents an unconscionably excessive price during any abnormal disruption to the market, regardless of whether that disruption occurred in Hawaii or in other parts of the world.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure to make technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1419, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1419, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing,

 

 

 

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair