STAND. COM. REP. NO. 882

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     S.B. No. 674

        S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 674 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GENDER IDENTITY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to prohibit any person licensed to provide professional counseling from engaging and advertising sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Aloha State Association of the Deaf, Hawaii Psychological Association, Mental Health America of Hawaii, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, and eight individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that the original intent of Act 13, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018 (Act 13), was to protect the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, against exposure to serious harms caused by sexual orientation change efforts.  However, Act 13 unintentionally left out individuals who have experienced attempts at gender identity change efforts.  This measure will broaden the applicability of Act 13 by clarifying that the ban on efforts to change the sexual orientation of youth equally applies to efforts to change the gender identify of youth.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 674, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 674, S.D. 1.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair