STAND. COM. REP. NO.  899

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 631

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 631, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CERTIFICATES OF BIRTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish the documentation required when a birth registrant requests the Department of Health to issue a new birth certificate with a sex designation change.

The Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, The CHOW Project, Community Alliance on Prisons, Democratic Party of Hawaii, Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Caucus, Hawaii State Democratic Women's Caucus, Equality Hawaii, Hawaii Women's Coalition, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, Rainbow Family 808, and many concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Hawaii Catholic Conference, Hawaii Family Advocates, Hawaii Family Forum, and several concerned individuals opposed this measure.  The Department of the Attorney General and Department of Health provided comments and proposed amendments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by permitting the birth registrant, who has a new certificate of birth with a sex designation change, to request the disclosure of the birth registrant's original birth certificate.

     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. 631, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 631, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair