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 S.C.R. No. 160 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Attorney General to convene a task force to undertake a comprehensive review of the age of consent for consensual sex, particularly as it relates to minors in sexual relationships with adult partners.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Attorney General, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney, Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Coalition for the Prevention of Sex Assault (Coalition), TJ Mahoney & Associates, Sex Abuse Treatment Center, and a private citizen.

Members of the task force will be representative of all government and private agencies concerned with sex abuse and adolescent sexual behavior. The Attorney General will report on findings and recommendations to the 2002 Session.

Testimony on proposed legislation in the 2001 Session to raise the age of consent indicated that there is no consensus on whether the age should be raised, and if so, to what age. Another issue was the required minimum age of the adult partner. In view of the difficulty of setting societal norms in this sensitive area, your Committee believes that time is needed to study the issue during the interim with a view towards enacting legislation, if needed, in the 2002 Session.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary 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, S.D. 1.