STAND. COM. REP. NO. 589

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1577

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1577 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to make all business registration applications available online; and

(2) Require all applications to contain certain contact information.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Your Committee finds that making all business registration applications available online is a vital step in streamlining the process of registering new businesses in the State. By providing businesses with the ability to register online, the amount of paperwork and time spent in the process of registering a new business can be reduced. This measure will make the process of registering a business simpler and more accessible by requiring the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to make all business registration applications available online and to contain certain contact information.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1577, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1577, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

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JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair