Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 82 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Attorney General to conduct an investigation of the Maui family court system for possible abuses.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Parents for Justice and five individuals. Testimony in opposition was received from the Judiciary. The Ombudsman submitted comments.

Your Committee is concerned about the operation of the Maui family court system, as evidenced in testimony from a group of Maui residents and their exhaustive efforts to date to rectify what they perceive to be inequities occurring in the family court.

Your Committee believes that the Judiciary and the Attorney General should conduct their own investigations into the alleged abuses. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure as follows:

(1) Changing references from "island" to "County" of Maui;

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. 82, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 82, S.D. 1.