STAND. COM. REP. 1549

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.R. No. 107

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.R. No. 107 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND CALL CENTERS TO INITIATE CUSTOMER RIGHT TO KNOW PROCEDURES REGARDING ALL INBOUND AND OUTBOUND COMMUNICATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this resolution is to urge all individuals and organizations involved with telecommunications and call centers to initiate customer right-to-know procedures regarding all inbound and outbound communications.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Communications Workers of America Local 9415, Hawaii, and a concerned citizen.

Your Committee finds that a significant number of companies use call centers based in foreign countries where United States (U.S.) privacy laws are not in effect. This poses a problem because some of these countries are either themselves in conflict with the U.S., or have a data-sharing agreement with a country that is in conflict with the U.S. Your Committee finds that this type of situation represents a potential breach of security, and believes that consumers conducting business on the telephone have the right to know where the call center agent is located.

However, your Committee is also aware of the call center industry's important role in Hawaii's economy, and thus intends to address these security issues while still supporting growth of the call center industry in Hawaii. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Directing the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to review pending customer rights practices, and to draft legislation requiring call centers to accurately disclose their location upon a customer inquiry;

(2) Resolving that every effort be made to ensure that the call center industry protects individuals' personal data and national security interest; and

(3) Specifying that certified copies of this resolution also be sent to LRB.

Your Committee has also amended this measure to reduce distribution costs, by providing that the certified copies sent to Congress, are to be sent only to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 107, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 107, H.D. 1.

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

 

____________________________

KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Chair