STAND. COM. REP. NO. 159

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 677

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam President:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 677 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WITNESSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to increase the daily fees for all witnesses and the per diem paid to the witnesses who travel from out of state or inter island to attend court proceedings.

     The current witness fee of $20 per day is inadequate to make our criminal justice system work.  This bill will increase the witness fees to $55 per day.  For witnesses traveling from out of state, the daily fee would increase from $110 per twenty four hour day to $160 for each day's attendance.  This increase will also cover  witnesses traveling from any island and required to stay overnight.

     Your Committee heard testimony in support of this bill from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu and from the Public Defender's Office.  Your Committee also received testimony from the Department of Budget and Finance commenting that the financial impact would be $670,000 per year.

     Your Committee amended the bill to include an appropriation provision to allow the expenditure of funds from the Department of Budget and Finance.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 677, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 677, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair