STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1381

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 91

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 91 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO IDENTIFY A PLAN TO COLLECT UNADJUDICATED FINES AND TO CONSOLIDATE ITS BACKLOG OF WARRANTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Public Safety to identify a plan to collect unadjudicated fines and to consolidate its backlog of warrants.

     Testimony in opposition of this measure was submitted by one state agency.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that the extensive backlog of warrants that currently exists within the State's criminal justice system has led to a severe administrative burden and untimely operation of serving warrants.  Your Committee also finds that requiring the Department of Public Safety to consolidate their efforts to reduce the backlog of warrants with other public and private agencies or stakeholders will alleviate the administrative burden and allow the criminal justice system to operate in a more swift, timely, and just manner.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the request for the Department of Public Safety to identify a plan to collect unadjudicated fines; and

     (2)  Requesting the Department of Public Safety to work with other public and private agencies or stakeholders in providing recommendations to the Legislature on how to resolve the backlog of warrants.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 91, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 91, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair