STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1488

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.C.R. No. 157

H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 157, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION RELATED TO THE PETER BOY KEMA CASE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to support efforts to resolve the case of the missing child, Peter Boy Kema.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Requests the Department of Human Services to disclose information to the Hawaii County Police Department and the public that would facilitate locating Peter Boy Kema;

(2) Requests the Attorney General to assist the Department of Human Services in drafting administrative rules and legislation to enable the Department of Human Services to release information to governmental agencies and the public in cases of missing children; and

(3) Requests the Hawaii County Police Department to make public the status of its investigation.

The Department of Human Services testified in opposition to the measure.

Your Committee finds that this nearly seven-year-old case remains a mystery that should be resolved in order to bring closure to the friends and family of Peter Boy Kema.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requesting that the Department of Human Services, the Hawaii County Police Department, and the Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney meet with family members of Peter Boy Kema and any interested party to apprise them of the status and any developments in the investigation into the whereabouts of Peter Boy Kema; and

(2) Requesting that the Department of Human Services, the Hawaii County Police Department, and the Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney cooperate fully with any media requests for information concerning the investigation, to the extent that information disclosed will not jeopardize the investigation, in the hope that public awareness may lead to new information coming forth on this cold case.

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 H.C.R. No. 157, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 157, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

		____________________________ ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair