Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Labor and Public Employment, to which were referred S.B. No. 2975 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to change the two part-time board members of the Hawaii Paroling Authority to full-time board members.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Public Safety and the Hawaii Paroling Authority.

Your committees find that, currently, only the Chair of the Hawaii Paroling Authority is a full-time board member. There are two part-time board members, and the status of the board members has remained unchanged since the inception of the paroling authority in 1976.

Your Committees further find that the workload of the Authority has increased tremendously over time. Since 1980, the parole population has grown from four hundred thirty-seven to 2,622 in 2003. Similarly, the number of annual parole-related hearings has increased from approximately three hundred fifty to 2,936. As a result of this increased workload, the part-time members of the Hawaii Paroling Authority have been doing full-time work for part-time pay. Accordingly, your committees believe that changing the two part-time positions to full-time status will more fairly compensate those members and aid the paroling authority in effectively and efficiently performing its duties.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your committeess on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Labor and Public Employment that are attached to this report, your committeess are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2975, and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.