STAND. COM. REP. NO. 169

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 916

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred S.B. No. 916 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to study the feasibility of selling the Oahu Community Correctional Center and using the proceeds gained from such a sale to construct a new facility in order to accommodate and manage the continued growth of the Hawaii inmate population.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by one individual.  The Department of Public Safety submitted testimony supporting the intent of the measure. 

     Your Committee finds that the Oahu Community Correctional Center was originally designed and constructed to have a much smaller inmate population.  Due to this fact and Hawaii's growing incarcerated population, the facility has a history of overcrowding.  Your Committee believes that it is appropriate to review options to finance and construct a larger facility with proceeds derived from other uses of the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to include consideration of leasing the Oahu Community Correctional Center rather than selling it in consideration of concerns regarding the sale of state land.  Amendments also provide that the proceeds from any sale or lease of the facility are to be used to finance the construction of new facilities, or to pay off bonds made to finance such construction.  Technical, nonsubstantive amendments have been made for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     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. 916, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 916, 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