STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1465

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 1460
                                        H.D. 2
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B.
No. 1460, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE EXPANSION
     OF THE VIDEO ARRAIGNMENT AND CONFERENCING SYSTEM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds to expand
the video arraignment and conferencing system between
correctional facilities and the court system.

     Specifically, this bill appropriates $70,867 for fiscal year
1999-2000 for the expansion of a video arraignment and
conferencing system in the circuit court of the third circuit and
the Halawa Correctional Facility.  Any and all funds awarded by
grant to the Judiciary through the Edward Byrne Memorial State
and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Formula Grant Program shall
be applied to offset the total costs for the implementation of
this video arraignment and conferencing project in the Third
Circuit Court and the Halawa Correctional Facility.

     Your Committee finds that since 1993, video conferencing
technology has allowed defendants housed at the Oahu Community
Correctional Center to participate in video arraignments.  This
program has been expanded in subsequent years to include motion

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1465
                                   Page 2


hearings and pre-sentence public defender/client interviews.
Your Committee further finds that in 1997, the First Circuit
Court arraigned 1,907 individuals or approximately ninety-six per
cent of its custody defendants by video conferencing technology.
This translates into at least a $45,000 per year savings for the
Department of Public Safety as a result of reduced transportation
and overtime costs.  In addition, your Committee notes that the
Department of Public Safety has identified this bill as one that
is needed in order to implement the Department's action plan, as
reported on March 10, 1999.

     Your Committee believes that expanding this program to
include Halawa Correctional Facility and the Circuit Court of the
Third Circuit in Hilo will produce similar savings and benefits.
Additionally, your Committee notes that the general revenue
appropriation to the Judiciary is a state match which will be
used to receive additional funds from the federal Byrne Grant
Program.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
bill by changing the appropriated dollar amount to an unspecified
amount for purposes of further discussion.

     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 H.B. No.
1460, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it
pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1460,
H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

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



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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