STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2758

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2352
                                        S.D. 2




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 S.B. No.
2352, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMPUTER OFFENSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to codify computer crimes for
the more complete protection of the public.

     Your Committee finds that as society becomes more dependent
on computers the extent to which it may be harmed through misuse
of computers becomes greater and more serious.  Both business and
personal use of computers has increased exponentially, making
more people vulnerable to more different kinds of attack, whether
it be vandalism, financial wrongdoing, or cyberstalking.

     A more comprehensive computer crimes law is necessary to
better protect the public.  Virginia has developed a model act
that addressed many of today's concerns about computers and
privacy, safety, and reliability.  Your Committee finds that the
Virginia model provides a good starting point for protecting the
people of Hawaii.

     The bill as received by your Committee was modeled closely
on the Virginia bill.  You Committee has amended the bill to
follow the Virginia model even more closely, by:


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2758
                                   Page 2


     (1)  Deleting the section of taking by computer;

     (2)  Deleting the section on internet service providers;

     (3)  Deleting the section defining the term "harm":

     (4)  Adding sections on theft of computer services and
          personal trespass by computer; and

     (5)  Moving the section on forgery from the forgery part to
          the computer crimes part.

     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 S.B. No.
2352, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2352, S.D.
2.

                                   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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