STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3084

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1833

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation and Government Operations and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1833, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIREWORKS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the counties to issue fireworks permits through authorized designees.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Honolulu Police Department; Honolulu Fire Department; the State Fire Council; Hawaii County Fire Department; T Kaneshiro Store; Legislative Information Services of Hawaii; T.H.Y. & Associates, Inc., PINKY'S; and J. Hara Store.

Your Committees find that this measure is intended to facilitate the purchase of fireworks by making it more convenient to obtain a permit and purchase fireworks at the same store. This relieves the administrative burden on the counties and facilitates the fire departments in accounting for retailer fireworks inventories and sales.

Your Committees remain concerned about the potential for abuse in issuing fireworks permits if a store would both issue permits and sell fireworks authorized on those same permits. Your Committees note that there is a provision in the measure that would prohibit the same authorized designee to issue permits and sell fireworks based on those same permits. However, testimony indicated that the County of Hawaii is presently administering such a program and there has been only a modest rise in fireworks permits. The demographics and geography of the Big Island make a trip to the fire station or city building inconvenient for most residents.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Allowing counties with a population of less than 500,000 to authorize a designee to issue a fireworks permit and sell fireworks based on the same permit; and

(2) Changing the effective date to upon approval.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Government Operations and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1833, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1833, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and Government Operations and Intergovernmental Affairs,

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DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair