STAND. COM. REP. NO.22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 962

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 962 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS AND MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE CHILDREN'S JUSTICE CENTER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize issuance of $4,250,000 in general obligation bonds and appropriate that sum in fiscal year 2003-2004, for design, plans, and construction of a new Children's Justice Center adjacent to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit.

Your Committee received testimony supporting this measure from the State Judiciary; the City and County of Honolulu, City Council; Friends of the Children's Justice Center of Oahu, Inc.; Kapiolani Child Protection Center; and Catholic Charities Hawaii. Hawaii Moms and Dads 4Kids offered comments. The Department of Budget and Finance submitted testimony raising legal concerns.

Your Committee finds that the new Children's Justice Center site will be used to co-locate public and private agencies who are involved in child abuse cases. Co-location has proven in mainland models to, among other things, increase confessions and arrest rates of perpetrators, and ensures that children receive specialized forensic medical examinations. These factors not only result in cost savings to the State at the criminal justice and health and human services level, but is crucial to reducing trauma to the abused child and setting the course for physical and mental healing.

Your Committee finds, however, that general obligation (GO) bonds are subject to certain federal tax laws that restrict the private business use of public buildings financed with the proceeds of GO bonds. Therefore, your Committee is amending this measure to reflect the changes suggested by the Department of the Attorney General to ensure that GO bonds will only be used to construct the portion of the building that will house public agencies. Accordingly, your Committee made the following amendments:

(1) Deleting language that reflects housing public and private agencies;

(2) Making capital improvement projects singular; and

(3) Inserting language that clarifies that the appropriation will be used for land acquisition, plans, design, and construction.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 962, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 962, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair