Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on International Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2293 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide the courts with some flexibility in the advisement given to defendants of the effect of criminal conviction on their alien status.

The Department of the Attorney General supported this bill.

Under current law, the advisement must be read exactly as written in section 802E-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes. Your Committee finds that the current requirement can lead to a miscommunication problem for persons whose primary language is not English.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Judiciary to further review these requirements to ensure that the defendants will be advised of their rights in a manner that is fair and understandable.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on International Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2293 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.