STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3266

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2480

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Government Operations, to which was referred H.B. No. 2480, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE CERTIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to set a fee for the issuance of an apostille or a non—apostille certification; and

(2) Establish and appropriate funds into and out of the Apostilles and Certifications Special Fund.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

Your Committee finds that apostilles are critical to authenticate and certify documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, divorce decrees, powers of attorney, and un-probated wills, for use in foreign countries. Your Committee notes that the Office of the Lieutenant Governor processes nearly eleven thousand apostilles annually and it is currently unable to accept credit card or web-based payment to authenticate documents. The office also shoulders the cost of mailing back documents to the applicants if there are errors, or if applicants are living abroad and are unable to purchase U.S. postage for a self-addressed stamped envelope for the office to use. This measure will promote efficiency by providing a funding mechanism for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to fund operational and administrative expenses of the apostille and certification of document services, including modernization of the process, postage, and supplies.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2491, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2480, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2480, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Government Operations,

________________________________

ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair