STAND. COM. REP. NO. 169

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 887
                                        




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
887 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO JUDGES FOR THE CIRCUIT
     COURT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide for an additional
circuit court judge in the Fifth Circuit.

     Your Committee finds that the Fifth Circuit, which serves
the islands of Kauai and Niihau, is assigned only one circuit
court judge who also serves as the Circuit Court Administrative
Judge for Civil and Criminal, the Arbitration Judge, and the
Senior Family Court Judge.  Your Committee further finds that it
is increasingly difficult for this one circuit court judge to
manage the increased number of case filings with more complex
issues, the expansion of the rights of criminal defendants, and
the public's growing awareness and understanding of the judicial
system.  Your Committee agrees that an additional circuit court
judge is needed to better balance the workload of and provide
necessary services to court users in the Fifth Circuit.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Judiciary and the Hawaii State Bar Association.

     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.

 
a                                                     
                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 169
                                   Page 2


887 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to
the Committee on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
a