CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 163-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2008

RE:    S.B. No. 2546

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

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. 2546, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

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.

     This purpose of this bill is to:

     (1)  Ensure the participation of various state agencies and lend further guidance in the development and implementation of comprehensive reentry plans and curricula to facilitate the reentry of persons released from correctional facilities into the community;

     (2)  Ensure the provision of appropriate Department of Public Safety support to the Department of Human Services in coordinating and promoting research that evaluates the impact to a child of a parent's incarceration;

     (3)  Require the implementation of a quarterly rotation system to address the inadequacy of correctional facility space for Hawaii prisoners returning from out-of-state facilities; and

     (4)  Clarify that the meaning of the term "shall," as used in this bill, is mandatory and is not to be interpreted as being a directive or as having a discretionary meaning.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Removing the requirement for the Department of Public Safety to lend technical assistance to the Department of Human Services to coordinate and promote research on the impact of a parent's incarceration on their children;

     (2)  Adding the requirement for the Department of Public Safety to promote research in collaboration with various state agencies, interested individuals, and other organizations on the impact of a parent's incarceration on the well-being of the offender's children and to examine the long-term effects on the relationship between the incarcerated parent and their children;

     (3)  Changing the effective date to upon approval; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of clarity.

     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. 2546, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2546, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, 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
____________________________ TOMMY WATERS, Co-Chair	____________________________ SHAN S. TSUTSUI, Co-Chair
____________________________ SHARON E. HAR, Co-Chair