STAND. COM. REP. NO.  153

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 379

      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. 379 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WITNESSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of the bill is to increase witness' daily fees and the per diem paid to witnesses who travel from out of state or inter-island to attend court proceedings.

     The Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Office of the Public Defender, and the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu testified in support of the bill.  The Department of Budget and Finance provided comments.

     Your Committee finds that increasing witness fees and per diem payments will help to reduce the burden on those obliging witnesses who perform a service that is integral to our criminal justice system.  This increase will help defray the cost to witnesses in time, participation, transportation costs, and lost wages.  

     Your Committee amended the bill by:

(1)  Extending the effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for style, clarity, and consistency.

     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. 379, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 379, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

TOMMY WATERS, Chair