STAND. COM. REP. NO. 818

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 429

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 429 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GENDER IDENTIFICATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require a license to include a person's full name, date of birth, gender category, residence address, and license number; and

(2) Expand gender options when applying for a driver's license and state identification card by including non-binary as an option.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women, LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Hawaii Women's Coalition, GLSEN Hawai‘i, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i, and sixteen individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from two individuals.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii has one of the largest transgender and gender non-conforming populations in the United States. Binary gender and sex markers on any form of identification can cause difficult and invasive questions and increases the likelihood of discrimination for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals when seeking employment, interacting with law enforcement, renting an apartment, and many other public situations. This measure will help to avoid discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming individuals by expanding gender categories on government identification.

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 S.B. No. 429 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair