Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 23, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to express the Legislature's strong support for the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women (Commission) by urging the Governor to allocate adequate funding to the Commission to enable it to carry out its mission and duties as mandated by law.

Testimony in support of this concurrent resolution was received from the: Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Honolulu County Committee on the Status of Women, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, Hawaii State Teacher's Association, University of Hawaii Women's Center, Domestic Violence Clearinghouse and Legal Hotline, National Association of Social Workers, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, Sex Abuse Treatment Center, Business and Professional Women of Hawaii, Community Alliance on Prisons, T J Mahoney and Associates, American Friends Service Committee, Central Oahu Soroptimists, Women's Coalition, First Unitarian Church, Coalition for Affordable Long Term Care, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, and concerned individuals.

Your Committee finds that the purpose of the Commission is to ensure equality of women and girls in the State by acting as a catalyst for change through advocacy, education, collaboration, and program development. The Commission's work is largely based upon effective public-private partnerships and networking among a variety of diverse boards, coalitions, professional, and community groups and organizations. Some of the Commission's priority issues include: pay equity; gender equity in sports, education, and in the workplace; long term care insurance and services; equity of services for women in prison; welfare reform; strengthening laws relating to violence against women and children; reproductive freedom; health care services and insurance; and moving women towards self-suffiency.

Your Committee notes that the Commission is the only statewide government and community resource dedicated to addressing the broad scope of issues impacting women and girls in Hawaii.

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. 23, S.D. 1, and recommends its adoption.