STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2132

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2278

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2278 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to amend the offense of criminal trespass in the first degree to include a person who enters or remains unlawfully in or upon the premises of a public housing project after a reasonable request or warning to leave by housing authorities, excluding invited guests.

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

     Your Committee finds that this measure is intended to create greater deterrence and prevention against criminal activity in public housing projects.  Your Committee has amended this measure to further deter criminal activity by applying criminal trespass in the first degree to invited guests who remain unlawfully in or upon public housing project premises after a reasonable request or warning to leave.  Your Committee has also made technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2278, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2278, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education and Housing,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair