STAND. COM. REP. NO.49

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 74

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 74 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CORRECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of Public Safety to develop and implement gender-responsive community-based programs for women offenders.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety, the Community Alliance on Prisons, the Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, T.J. Mahoney and Associates, and several concerned citizens.

Your Committee finds that although much effort is being expended to improve services for female offenders, it is appropriate that the Legislature make a strong statement to support, reinforce, and perpetuate the good work underway.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making the preamble language more gender-neutral wherever context allows;

(2) Replacing references to "gender-specific" with "gender-responsive;"

(3) Specifying that the gender-responsive programs are to be made available within the limits of money appropriated;

(4) Replacing provisions concerning equity with programs for males with provisions specifying that an appropriate range of programming for women be made available;

(5) Clarifying that the criteria for program models designed under the bill shall not be limited to those needs delineated in the bill;

(6) Adding two additional criteria to the list of needs served by the program models. First, to include appropriate treatment and, second, to provide assistance for offenders needing marketable job skills; and

(7) Making other technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 74, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 74, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs,

____________________________

NESTOR GARCIA, Chair