STAND

 

STAND. COM. REP. NO.3430

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 2307

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2307, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish the legal validity of electronic documents containing certification or a seal.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary.

Act 282, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, enacted chapter 489E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) to facilitate electronic commerce in the State. The UETA establishes the legal validity of electronic records, signatures, and contracts, and provides that if a law requires a signature or record to be notarized, acknowledged, verified, or made under oath, the requirement is satisfied through an electronic signature of the person authorized to perform such acts.

This measure further facilitates electronic commerce in the State by establishing the validity of electronic documents containing certification or a seal if the document contains the electronic signature or seal of an authorized official. Under this measure, agencies, such as the Judiciary, will be able to provide more efficient and timely service to consumers who request certified or sealed copies of documents, by providing the requested documents through electronic means, rather than by mail.

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 H.B. No. 2307, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

		____________________________ BRIAN KANNO, Chair