STAND. COM. REP. NO.1501
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2001
RE: S.C.R. No. 160
S.D. 1
H.D. 1
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 S.C.R. No. 160 entitled:
"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE COALITION FOR THE PREVENTION OF SEX ASSAULT TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO ENGAGE IN A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE ISSUES, AND THE DIFFERING VIEWPOINTS, CONCERNING THE AGE OF CONSENT FOR CONSENSUAL SEX CONDUCT,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of the resolution is to create a task force to review issues and viewpoints regarding age of consent of consensual sexual conduct.
Your Committee received testimony in support from the Department of the Attorney General, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu, the Hawaii Commission on the Status of Women, the Coalition for the Prevention of Sex Assualt, the Hawaii Family Forum, the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, the Hawaii Youth Services Network and a concerned individual
Your Committee finds that many bills have been proposed this legislative session relating to the age of consent and sexual assault. There being no consensus among experts on how to address this issue, the lack of reliable data does not provide solid understanding of problems involved. A task force would provide for better legislation in this confused field.
Your Committee amended the resolution by
1. Expanding the scope of the task force to include studying factual information, the national experience, and "best practices" for the purpose of assisting the legislature to develop social policy on the issue of "age of consent";
2. Requesting the Attorney General to co-partner the lead of the task force with the Coalition for the Prevention of Sex Assault;
3. Deleting the representative of the faith community in Hawaii from the membership of the task force;
4. Including the House Judiciary Chair and the Senate Judiciary Chair, or their designates as members of the task force;
5. Deleting the request that the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution be involved with the task force to help reach a consensus; and
6. Make technical and non-substantive changes for the sake of clarity and style.
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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 160, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 160, H.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,
|
____________________________ ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair |
||