STAND. COM. REP. NO.  56-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2766

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services & Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 2766 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRONIC MONITORING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to protect victims of domestic violence from their abusers by allowing the courts to:

     (1)  Prohibit contact with the victim by establishing court-defined geographic exclusion zones; and

     (2)  Require the defendant to wear a global positioning satellite tracking device.

     Na Loio and the Domestic Violence Action Center testified in support of this bill.  The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and VOICES supported this measure with amendments.  The Office of the Public Defender did not support this bill.  The Judiciary provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Specifying that the court-defined exclusion zones be known to the defendant;

     (2)  Appropriating funds to the Judiciary to cover costs associated with the electronic devices for defendants who are unable to pay; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services & Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2766, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2766, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services & Housing,

____________________________

MAILE SHIMABUKURO, Chair