STAND. COM. REP. NO. 648-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2895

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2895 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LIMITATION OF ACTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to further protect victims of sex assault and child abuse by:

(1) Extending the statute of limitations for a civil action to 20 years after the victim reaches the age of majority; and

(2) Providing a transition period for the implementation of the extended statute of limitations, allowing a civil action to be brought before July 1, 2007, if no more than 35 years have passed since the victim reached the age of majority.

Several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Reducing the proposed statute of limitations from 20 years to 10 years after the victim reaches the age of majority;

(2) Reducing the transition period's statute of limitation from 35 years to 25 years after the victim reached the age of majority;

(3) Clarifying the effective date; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

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 H.B. No. 2895, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2895, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

 

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair