STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2340

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2082

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred S.B. No. 2082 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Public Safety to develop a plan by July 1, 2008, to return all female Hawaii prisoners incarcerated in mainland prisons back to Hawaii by July 1, 2009.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Public Safety; the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Community Alliance on Prisons; TJ Mahoney & Associates, Ka Hale Ho‘ala Hou No Na Wahine; Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., Being Empowered and Safe Together Reintegration Program; Hawaii Youth Services Network; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; Ke Kahua Pa‘a; The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii; Poi Dog Publishers, and three individuals.

     Your Committee is in support of this measure, but has heard a number of concerns raised by the Department of Public Safety related to the current and future funding necessary to return the female prisoners to Hawaii, and house, treat, and transition them.

     Your Committee finds many of these concerns to be crucial for successful implementation, and has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Pointing out in the findings and purpose section that the near-term expiration of the contract that provides for incarceration of female inmates from Hawaii in mainland correctional facilities, provides an opportunity for the Department of Public Safety to review what additional facilities and programs must be in place to adequately house and rehabilitate those prisoners upon their return to Hawaii;

     (2)  Requiring that the Department of Public Safety return as many female prisoners as possible to Hawaii by July 1, 2009;

     (3)  Changing the fiscal year in the appropriation section from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009; and

     (4)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2082, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2082, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair