Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 996 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make the drug demand reduction assessments special fund (fund) permanent, by deleting the repeal date of the drug demand reduction assessment law.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary, the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney, and Department of Health. Testimony in opposition was received from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Act 205, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 1995, as amended by Act 7, SLH 1996, and Act 152, SLH 1998, provides that any person convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or granted a deferred acceptance of guilty or no contest plea is subject to a court ordered monetary assessment to be paid into the fund. The fund is administered by the Department of Health (DOH) to supplement drug treatment and other drug demand reduction programs.

Your Committee recognizes that drug abuse is the cause of most property crime and domestic violence today. Furthermore, your Committee finds that past efforts and much of the present efforts relating to illicit drugs have focused on reducing the supply of those drugs. This measure, on the other hand, is aimed at reducing the demand or the need for illicit drugs and providing supplemental funding for substance abuse treatment prevention and treatment services. Your Committee believes that there is a compelling need to reduce the demand for illicit drugs and that, once this is achieved, a reduction in property crime, domestic abuse, and much violent crime will follow.

Your Committee defers to the Committee on Ways and Means to exercise its discretion on the disposition of the fund.

Your Committee has amended this bill by extending the sunset provision to June 30, 2004.

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 H.B. No. 996, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 996, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.