STAND. COM. REP. NO. 418

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 828
                                        




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which
was referred S.B. No. 828 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to prohibit businesses from
charging women differently from men for similar services.

     The Commission on the Status of Women and the Hawaii Civil
Rights Commission presented testimony in support of the measure.

     Your Committee finds that existing law already prohibits any
business from discriminating against any person based on gender.
This measure specifically prohibits businesses from
discriminating, with respect to the price charged for services of
the same or similar nature, against a person based on gender.

     Your Committee believes that although existing law already
prohibits such practices, further clarification is needed to
ensure that the practice of inequitable pricing based solely on
gender is not perpetuated.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of S.B. No. 828 and recommends that it pass Second
Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 418
                                   Page 2


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



                                   ______________________________
                                   BRIAN KANNO, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

 
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