STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1740-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.C.R. No. 156

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 156 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO PROVIDE EQUAL PUBLIC, EDUCATION, AND GOVERNMENTAL ACCESS FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, AND OPERATIONS OF CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEMS TO ALL MARKETS THROUGHOUT THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to provide all areas throughout the state with equal access to public, educational, and governmental cable television systems access facilities, equipment, and operations by requesting the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) to develop a plan for this purpose.

A concerned individual supported this concurrent resolution. Hawaii Consumers supported this measure with amendments. DCCA and Oceanic Time Warner Cable commented on this measure.

Upon consideration, your Committee has amended this concurrent resolution by replacing its title and contents with a resolution based on the National Conference of Insurance Legislators Model State Resolution in Opposition to Federal Preemptive Insurance Regulatory Measures.

These amendments were distributed as a proposed draft and your Committee received testimony supporting the proposed draft from DCCA, Island Insurance Company, Ltd., First Insurance Company of Hawaii, Ltd., and Hawaii Medical Service Association. Kaiser Permanente supported the intent of the proposed draft.

As amended, this concurrent resolution:

(1) Is entitled:

"EXPRESSING STRONG OPPOSITION TO PREEMPTIVE FEDERAL INSURANCE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD THREATEN THE POWER OF STATE LEGISLATURES, GOVERNORS, INSURANCE COMMISSIONERS, AND ATTORNEYS GENERAL TO OVERSEE, REGULATE, AND INVESTIGATE THE BUSINESS OF INSURANCE AND PROTECT CONSUMERS"; and

(2) Opposes federal regulation that would establish unwieldy and inaccessible federal bureaucracies and preempt the essential role of state insurance regulation in protecting consumers and responding to consumer needs.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 156, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 156, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

 

____________________________

ROBERT N. HERKES, Chair