Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2723 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase the fee paid to an examiner performing a court-ordered mental health examination of a criminal defendant.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Office of the Public Defender, the Department of Health, the Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and the Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association. The Judiciary took no position on this measure.

Your Committee finds that the fee for court-ordered examiners has not increased since 1992. It is not cost-effective for a private practice mental health professional to spend a full day travelling to, interviewing, and evaluating a criminal defendant for that sum.

Your Committee made technical nonsubstantive amendments to this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2723, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2723, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.