STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 873-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2371

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2371 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR THE HAWAII YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to take immediate steps to improve the operations at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) by making an emergency appropriation of $1,320,000 for the current fiscal year.

The Department of Health (DOH), Office of Youth Services, and Hawaii Disability Rights Center testified in support of this bill. The Attorney General (AG) offered amendments.

To fulfill the State's obligations under a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the United States Department of Justice that took effect on February 9, 2006, the AG recommended additional appropriations totaling $5,498,844 for various remedial measures at HYCF.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Updating and clarifying the steps that the State needs to take to comply with the MOA;

(2) Authorizing that 19 temporary youth correctional officer positions be converted to permanent positions;

(3) Replacing the appropriation to HYCF with $1 appropriations to DOH, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Education to promote further discussion;

(4) Extending the lapsing date of the appropriations to June 30, 2007; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2371, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2371, H.D. 1.

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

		____________________________ DWIGHT TAKAMINE, Chair