STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1488

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   S.B. No. 932

      S.D. 2

      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 Committees on Public Safety & Military Affairs and Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred S.B. No. 932, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide a comprehensive re-entry system for incarcerated persons rejoining the community by:

(1)  Establishing an offender re-entry system to help adult offenders prepare for release and reintegration back to the community;

(2)  Establishing a stakeholders committee and appropriating funds for demonstration projects;

(3)  Establishing a two-year pilot day-reporting center administered by the Department of Public Safety (DPS);

(4)  Appropriating funds for the expansion of the Restorative Circles Pilot Program to other correctional facilities statewide;

(5)  Authorizing the Hawaii Paroling Authority to parole committed persons to any county in the state where they will receive the greatest support to successfully reintegrate into the community;

(6)  Appropriating funds for a grant to Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., for the administration of community-based reintegration programs; and

(7)  Appropriating funds to DPS to provide a cognitive restructuring and transition pilot program in the County of Hawaii.

     The Mayor of the County of Hawaii, Office of Housing and Community Development of the County of Hawaii, Community Alliance on Prisons, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., BEST Reintegration Program, Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, and numerous concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Hawaii Paroling Authority and Department of Labor and Industrial Relations testified in support of the intent of this measure.  The Department of Taxation (DoTAX) testified in opposition to a part of this bill.  DPS and the Department of Human Services (DHS)submitted comments.

     Your Committees have amended this bill by:

(1)  Deleting language establishing the Director of DHS' roles and responsibilities in regard to dealing with children of incarcerated parents;

(2)  Removing DoTAX as an assisting agency in the development and proposal, for legislative enactment, of tax incentives for employers who hire individuals who were formerly incarcerated; and

(3)  Clarifying that the Director of Public Safety shall return Hawaii inmates held in out-of-state prisons at least one year prior to the inmate's parole date or release date in order for these inmates to participate in programs preparing them for reentry on the island where they have the most support.

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety & Military Affairs and Labor & Public Employment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 932, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 932, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety & Military Affairs and Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________ ALEX M. SONSON, Chair

____________________________ CINDY EVANS, Chair