STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2812

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1293

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1293, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to bolster efforts by law enforcement agencies in the State to prevent narcotic use and trafficking and detect explosives and currency by establishing the Special Operations K9 Unit Special Fund.

 

     Prior to decision making on this measure, your Committee made available for public review a proposed S.D. 2 of this measure.  The proposed S.D. 2:

 

(1)  Transfers the Corrections Population Management Commission from the Department of Public Safety to the Judiciary;

 

(2)  Requires the Commission to:

 

(A)  Provide supervisory oversight of the number of inmates in correctional facilities; and

 

     (B)  Meet not less than once per quarter;

 

(3)  Requires the Department of Public Safety to provide each member of the Commission with access to information and the authority to conduct spot checks;

 

(4)  Replaces the Director of Public Safety with the Chief Justice as a member of the Commission;

 

(5)  Removes from the Commission one judge and one member from the private sector;

 

(6)  Adds two members to the Commission; and

 

(7)  Expands the requirements of the Commission's annual report;

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Americans for Democratic Action Hawaii, Community Alliance on Prisons, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Hawaii Justice Coalition, Young Progressives Demanding Action - Hawaii, Hoomanapono Political Action Committee, and eight concerned individuals.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Judiciary, the Department of Public Safety, and one concerned individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that transferring the Corrections Population Management Commission from the Department of Public Safety to the Judiciary could help to increase oversight of the correctional facilities in the State.

 

     Your Committee has amended S.B. No. 1293, S.D. 1, by:

 

(1)  Replacing its contents with the contents of the proposed draft of S.B. No. 1293, S.D. 2;

 

(2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

 

(3)  Making a technical nonsubstantive change for the purpose of clarity.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1293, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1293, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair