STAND. COM. REP. NO. 517

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 993
                                        S.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Labor and
Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 993 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DISABLED,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to exempt owners of guide
dogs, signal dogs, or service animals from all licensing fees or
charges by the counties, and to clarify discrimination laws
against the blind.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this
measure from the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission (HCRC),
Commission on Persons with Disabilities, Hawaii State
Coordinating Council on Deafness, and four private citizens.

     This measure strengthens the policy of the State to
encourage and enable the blind to participate fully in the social
and economic life of Hawaii and to obtain gainful employment.
Your Committees believe that the blind are entitled to equality
of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and
economic-self sufficiency.

     Your Committees have amended this bill on the recommendation
of the HCRC, as follows:

     (1)  Deleting the exemption from county dog licensing
          requirements in chapter 46, Hawaii Revised Statutes
          (HRS);

 
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     (2)  Adding a new definition for "because of a disability"
          in section 378-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and a new
          definition for "on the basis of disability" in section
          489-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (3)  Deleting provisions relating to prohibiting
          discrimination against using guidedogs and requiring
          payment of extra charges or fees by employers for use
          of guidedogs, as being unnecessary with the new
          definitions; and

     (4)  Clarifying that guide dogs, service animals, and signal
          dogs are exempt from county regulation and licensure in
          chapter 143, HRS.

     Your Committees have also made technical, nonsubstantive
amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Health and Human Services and Labor and Environment
that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord
with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 993, as amended herein,
and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as S.B. No. 993, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee
on Judiciary.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Health and Human
                                   Services and Labor and
                                   Environment,



____________________________       ______________________________
BOB NAKATA, Chair                  SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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