STAND. COM. REP. NO.817

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1279

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1279, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOBACCO,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to consolidate the tax stamp fees collected for the enforcement of the cigarette tax and tobacco tax laws with the moneys received for enforcement of the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

Specifically, this bill requires a deposit of moneys into the Tobacco Enforcement Special Fund from the allocated portion of the stamp fee designated to pay for the cost of enforcing the cigarette tax stamp and fines.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this bill from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that this consolidation will provide the necessary funding for the Tobacco Enforcement Unit within the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee has made the following technical amendments:

(1) Underscored new statutory material ("state general fund") added to section 28-15(c), Hawaii Revised Statutes, on page 2, line 14, to correspond to the printed version of the Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(2) Inserted a semi-colon in section 245-26(a)(2), Hawaii Revised Statutes, to conform to the printed version of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, on page 9, line 13;

(3) Deleted the June 30, 2003 effective date for section 7 of the bill; and

(4) Made other technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1279, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1279, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair