STAND. COM. REP. NO.  540-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 2773

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2773, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WEED AND SEED PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to permanently establish the Weed and Seed program within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and to appropriate moneys for that program.  

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations submitted comments on the bill.  The Department of Public Safety, the Police Department of the City and County of Honolulu, Haseko Development, Inc., Empower Oahu, Kalihi Baptist Church, Hawaii's Most Wanted Magazine, and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Human Services supported the intent of the bill.  The Young Men's Christian Association of Honolulu and the League of Women Voters of Hawaii supported the intent of the bill and suggested amendments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the provision of the bill that authorizes the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to contract with various providers for services needed for the program;

     (2)  Adding a section to the bill that appropriates an unspecified amount as a grant to the Young Men's Christian Association of Honolulu to support the operations of the Weed and Seed program; and

     (3)  Changing the effective date to January 7, 2059, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

     Your Committee notes that the grant inserted into this bill only addresses the Weed and Seed program on the island of Oahu and does not address any similar program on the island of Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2773, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2773, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

____________________________

GILBERT KEITH-AGARAN, Chair