STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1237

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 1444
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No.
1444 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION OF NOTARY
     RECORDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to transfer the custody and
disposition of notary records from the Judiciary to the
Department of the Attorney General.

     Your Committee finds that under current procedures, an
applicant for a notary commission submits the application to and
is issued a notary commission from the Department of the Attorney
General.  The notary must then subsequently file with the circuit
court clerk, a signature card, a bond, and a copy of the
commission.  The circuit court clerk then files completed notary
books, microfilms these books, and authenticates notary
signatures.  Your Committee, however, recognizes that the
Department of the Attorney General is the entity statutorily
responsible for monitoring and, if necessary, revocation of
notary commissions.  Your Committee, therefore, agrees that since
the Judiciary has no legal jurisdiction over notaries or their
records, the responsibility for the safekeeping of these records
should reside with the Department of the Attorney General.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Judiciary and the Department of the Attorney General.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1237
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     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 H.B. No.
1444 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,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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