STAND. COM. REP. NO. 497-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2297
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which
was referred H.B. No. 2297 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBER
     ABUSE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to clarify that the repeat
offender provision for the offense of Abuse of a Family or
Household Member applies to successive convictions, rather than
commission of successive violations of the law.

     The Office of the Public Defender testified in support of
the measure.  The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the
County of Maui testified in opposition to the measure.  Child and
Family Services provided comments.

     Your Committee finds that the repeat offender provisions for
Abuse of Family or Household Member is intended to be consistent
with other repeat offender provisions which generally relate to
the same subject matter. Inserting the qualification of
"conviction" for prior offenses to be considered under the repeat
offender provision of HRS Section 709-906 will make it consistent
with the repeat offender provisions of HRS Sections 580-10, 586-
4, and 586-11.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 497-00
                                 Page 2

 
purpose of H.B. No. 2297 and recommends that it pass Second
Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary &
                                   Hawaiian Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair