Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2477 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to make the Drug Demand Reduction Assessments and the Drug Demand Reduction Assessments Special Fund (Special Fund) permanent.

The Department of Health and Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition testified in support of this measure. The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu, submitted testimony in support of this measure with amendments. The Judiciary submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that the Special Fund receives funds from optional assessments from individuals convicted of various offenses related to drugs and intoxicants. The funds are used to provide substance abuse treatment. Several testifiers commented that the law should be strengthened by making the assessments mandatory.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this bill by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2477, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2477, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.