STAND. COM. REP. NO. 978

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 686

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 686, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO REDUCED IGNITION PROPENSITY CIGARETTES,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to create a special revolving fund to receive deposits of cigarette certification fees and to delay the implementation of the reduced ignition propensity cigarette law until September 30, 2010. 

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the State Fire Council and Honolulu Fire Department, the County of Hawaii Fire Department, County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety, and Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii.  Testimony with comments on this measure was received from the Department of Budget and Finance.  Written testimony presented to your Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees find that this measure will allow the State Fire Council to enforce the reduced ignition propensity cigarette law by enabling it to hire staff and contractors to establish administrative rules, process certifications, and post program information on the State Fire Council's website.  Your Committees find that the funding allocated to the State Fire Council in this measure is sufficient to sustain the enforcement program developed by the State Fire Council. 

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by deferring its effective date to July 1, 2050 to encourage further discussion. 

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Public Safety and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 686, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 686, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair

 

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair