STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2675

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2430
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
2430 entitled:

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIL RIGHTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to protect the civil rights
of all people by prohibiting discrimination in housing based on
sexual orientation.

     The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, the
Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, the American Civil Liberties
Union of Hawaii, the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Lambda
Aloha, and three individuals testified in support of the bill.
Three individuals opposed the measure.

     The bill adds sexual orientation as a protected status
to laws prohibiting discrimination in real estate transactions
and makes it unlawful under state law for landlords and any other
real estate provider to discriminate against persons because of
their sexual orientation.  Currently, discrimination based on
sexual orientation is prohibited only in the area of employment.
A person's ability to find shelter, a basic need, should not be
limited by their sexual orientation.  Adding sexual orientation
as a protected status in housing transactions is a positive step
forward in making all of our civil rights laws uniform.  Your
Committee finds that the prohibition against discrimination based

 
a                                                          SB2430
 
 
                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2675
                                   Page 2


on a person's sexual orientation must be extended to real estate
transactions to ensure all of Hawaii's citizens are treated with
fairness and equality, particularly in the area of jobs and
shelter.

     This measure also adds "familial status" to the blockbusting
section of the housing law to correct an inadvertent omission
when the law was changed in 1992.  Your Committee finds that this
change is required to make state law substantially similar to
federal fair housing laws.

     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.
2430 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

 
a                                                          SB2430