STAND. COM. REP. NO.  879

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1721

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1721 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VIOLENCE AGAINST EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PERSONNEL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to protect emergency medical services personnel from harm by adding the commission of violence or the threat of violence against emergency medical services personnel to the offenses of assault in the second degree and terroristic threatening in the first degree.

     The Honolulu Emergency Services Department, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Office of the Public Defender opposed this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by changing the effective date to January 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1721, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1721, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

TOMMY WATERS, Chair