STAND. COM. REP. NO. 380

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 491

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 491 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds as a grant-in-aid to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu for the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Hawaii County; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Maui County; Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Kauai County; and one individual.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from Hoomana Pono, LLC, and one individual.

 

     Your Committees find that supporting a strong and effective prosecutor's office is vital to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public.  It has long been a recognized problem that a relatively small number of repeat criminals, or "career criminals", commit a disproportionate number of the serious crimes against the public.  For that reason, the Legislature created the career criminal prosecution program in 1979.  This program has been effective in assisting prosecutors' offices in delivering swift and effective justice.  Accordingly, it is important to continue to provide funding to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu for its Career Criminal Prosecution Unit so that the office may continue to protect the public from these dangerous career criminals.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 491 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary and Labor,

 

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair

 

________________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair