STAND. COM. REP. NO. 30

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 758

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 758 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SENTENCING OF REPEAT OFFENDERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to expand the scope of the repeat offenders sentencing guidelines to include its application to persons who commit felony insurance fraud.

The Attorney General testified in support of this measure. The Office of the Public Defender submitted comments on the measure.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, insurance fraud is generally perceived by white-collar criminals as a victimless, low-risk, and high-reward crime, making it attractive to organized crime as a means of raising money to fund other criminal activities.

This measure proposes to strengthen the penalties for felony insurance fraud by including the offense among the types of felony offenses subject to the repeat offender sentencing guidelines. Your Committee finds that this measure will help the State to combat the problem of insurance fraud, which results in higher costs for insurers and higher premiums for consumers.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 758 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair