STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2958

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 1940
                                        H.D. 2
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No.
1940, H.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COURT APPOINTED COUNSEL LEGAL
     FEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill, as received by your Committee, is
to provide an increase in the allowable fees for court appointed
attorneys for indigent criminal defendants.

     Your Committee finds that current compensation levels for
court appointed counsel have not been amended since 1987.  Your
Committee further finds that current compensation levels are not
adequate to fairly compensate court appointed attorneys for their
time.  Your Committee believes that linking state compensation
levels to federal compensation levels for court appointed counsel
in Hawaii will help prevent a situation in which a deserved hike
in state compensation levels is overlooked year after year.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Judiciary, the Office of the Public Defender, and the Hawaii
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.  The Department of
Budget and Finance submitted comments on this bill.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
measure by deleting its substance and inserting the contents of
S.B. 2425, S.D. 1.  Additionally, your Committee has:

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2958
                                   Page 2


     (1)  Made conforming amendments to the compensation levels
          for court appointed guardian ad litems under section
          571-87, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (2)  Provided $900,000 be appropriated for fiscal year 2000-
          2001 to be expended by the Judiciary to accomplish the
          purposes of this Act; 

     (3)  Provided $900,000 be appropriated for fiscal year 2000-
          2001 to be expended by the Department of Budget and
          Finance to accomplish the purposes of this Act; and

     (4)  Made technical, non-substantive changes for the
          purposes of clarity 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.
1940, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1940, H.D.
2, 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,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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