STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1025

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 84

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 84 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A TASK FORCE TO REPORT ON STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM AMONG NATIVE HAWAIIANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to:

     (1)  Convene a task force to produce a comprehensive report on strategies and resources needed to reduce recidivism among Native Hawaiians; and

     (2)  Submit the report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and Papa Ola Lokahi.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

     Your Committee understands that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has already begun sharing data with various stakeholder groups, state agencies, academic partners, and existing task forces as a result of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' report on "The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System".  The Office of Hawaiian Affairs testified that it is now participating with the Interagency Council on Intermediate Sanctions, whose vision is to reduce recidivism and prevent future victimization by adult offenders.  While the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has testified that this measure may be duplicative of those and similar efforts, your Committee believes that the various initiatives would instead enhance the overall goal of reducing recidivism among Native Hawaiians and the broader inmate population.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adding the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to the list of those receiving a certified copy of the Concurrent Resolution.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 84, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 84, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

BRICKWOOD GALUTERIA, Chair