Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1540 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to make permanent the repeal of a law that restricted expenditures from the Crime Victim Compensation Special Fund (Fund) for the operating expenses of the Crime Victim Compensation Commission (Commission) to not more than thirty per cent of the Fund.

Supportive testimony was submitted by the Commission, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, and the Sex Abuse Treatment Center.

In 1999, the Legislature enacted Act 278 which, among other things, temporarily restricted the expenditure of Fund moneys for the Commission's operating expenses. Under Act 278, this restriction is to be repealed on July 1, 2001.

The Commission testified that if the sunset provision is not repealed, the thirty percent restriction would apply and result in the reduction of Commission staff by fifty percent. The understaffing created by the cap will limit the Commission's ability to properly administer compensation awards.

After careful consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by extending the sunset date of the restriction to July 1, 2003. In addition, your Committee has incorporated housekeeping amendments to SECTION 7 of Act 278, Session Laws of Hawaii 1999, as were suggested by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

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 purpose of H.B. No. 1540, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1540, H.D. 1.