Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2334, S.D. 2, entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to make an emergency appropriation of $1,320,000 to the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) for the current fiscal year.

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

The AG offered a proposed draft that would increase the emergency appropriation amount to $6,854,844. DOH and OYS expressed support for the proposed draft. The AG stated that the proposed draft is in response to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation of HYCF, and the funds are to be distributed between the Department of Human Services, DOH, and Department of Education. However, DOJ did not require or approve this appropriation.

While committed to ensuring that adequate services and programs are provided to youth under the care of HYCF, your Committees are not convinced that there is reasonable justification for the significant amount of funds requested in the AG's proposed draft as an emergency appropriation. Additionally, your Committees were not given adequate time to review and consider the AG's proposal.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this bill by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2334, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2334, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.