STAND. COM. REP. NO.  933

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1440

      H.D. 3

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1440, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to clarify the jurisdictional authority of the Office of the Ombudsman when investigating the contractual acts of any correctional facility with which the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has contracted to hold persons committed to the custody of the Director of Public Safety.

     The Community Alliance on Prisons, Ke Kahua Pa‘a, and an individual testified in support of this bill.  DPS opposed this measure.  The Office of the Ombudsman (Ombudsman) submitted comments on this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Allowing the Ombudsman to notify DPS or the contracted         facility directly of the intention to investigate a            complaint rather than requiring the Ombudsman to work              through DPS; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to                    facilitate further discussion.

     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. 1440, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1440, H.D. 3.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair