HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

5

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the attorney general to conduct a study on whether the goals and objectives of hAWAII'S sex offender laws are being met and whether sex offender laws are being implemented in the way they were intended.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, in 1996, the federal government enacted what has become known as "Megan's Law," requiring states to collect and release relevant information necessary to protect the public from sexual offenders; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1997, the Legislature passed Hawaii's own Megan's Law, codified as Chapter 846E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and currently entitled "Registration of Sex Offenders and Other Covered Offenders and Public Access to Registration Information," requiring that individuals convicted of certain offenses against children and certain sexual offenses register with a sex-offender registry by providing information relating to their identity, residence, employment, education, medical treatment, and vehicle; and

 

     WHEREAS, Chapter 846E also allows for public notification through the public release of certain registration information; and

 

     WHEREAS, over the years since their enactment, Hawaii's sex offender laws have been amended to address constitutional issues raised by the Hawaii Supreme Court as well as to comply with federal law; and

 

     WHEREAS, while previous studies have been undertaken to consider possible revisions to Hawaii's sex offender laws, no study has been conducted to determine whether the goals and objectives of the state sex offender laws are being met, or whether state sex offender laws are being implemented in the way they were intended; and

 

     WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 846E, the statewide sex offender registry is administrated and maintained by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center of the Department of the Attorney General; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to conduct a study on the objectives and implementation of Hawaii's sex offender laws; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in its study, the Department of the Attorney General is requested to address:

 

     (1)  Whether the goals and objectives of the state sex offender laws are being met; and

 

     (2)  Whether the state sex offender laws are being implemented in the way they were intended; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Department of the Attorney General is requested to submit its findings and recommendations, including any recommended legislation, to the Legislature no less than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Attorney General.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Study; State Sex Offender Laws; Objectives and Implementation