CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 125

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2007

RE:    S.B. No. 932

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 932, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO A COMPREHENSIVE OFFENDER REENTRY SYSTEM,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to prepare incarcerated individuals for reentry into the community by establishing a comprehensive offender reentry system within the Department of Public Safety and providing funding for reentry programs such as restorative circles, cognitive restructuring programs, and a day-reporting pilot project, that have proven to be effective.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that the rehabilitation and preparation of incarcerated individuals for reentry results in lower recidivism rates, thereby reducing the economic and noneconomic costs to the public.

     Your Committee on Conference amended this measure to:

     (1)  Clarify that the placement of parents in correctional facilities in consideration of the best interest of the family is to be consistent with public safety and inmate security;

     (2)  Clarify the staffing allowed for the adult offender reentry program;

     (3)  Require the assistance of the Department of Taxation, in addition to the Department of Industrial Relations, in establishing tax incentives for employers who hire formerly incarcerated individuals, and require suggestions for legislation before the 2008 legislative session;

     (4)  Replace the proposed stakeholders committee with a legislative oversight committee with different obligations;

     (5)  Provide that the Department of Public Safety is not required to complete the research requested on its own;

     (6)  Change the duration of the day-reporting pilot project to one year and change the reporting requirements accordingly;

     (7)  Specify that the Director of Public Safety is to return offenders incarcerated on the mainland back to Hawaii one year before their release date:

          (A)  Is to be contingent upon the existence of the appropriate programs in Hawaii and shall be consented to by the offender if the offender is participating a successful rehabilitation or reentry program in the mainland facility at that time; and

          (B)  Does not preclude those with less than one year of incarceration remaining on their sentence from being returned to prepare for reentry;

     (8)  Clarify that the appropriation for the restorative circles is for the continuation of existing programs, as well as the creation of new programs throughout the State;

     (9)  Reduce all appropriations to one year, insert the specific dollar amounts into the appropriation sections, and clarify the uses of the appropriations;

     (10) Require the Department of Public Safety to report to the Legislature prior to the 2008, 2009, and 2010 legislative sessions on the progress and effectiveness of the components of this measure;

     (11) Take effect on July 1, 2007; and

     (12) Make technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 932, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 932, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ CINDY EVANS, Co-Chair	____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair
____________________________ ALEX M. SONSON, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair
____________________________ SHARON E. HAR, Co-Chair