STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1317-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   S.B. No. 2123

      S.D. 2

      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 S.B. No. 2123, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to alleviate the current gap in service for survivors of human trafficking by proposing a comprehensive plan that coordinates relevant state-funded programs.

The Hawaii Catholic Conference, The Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery, Hawaii Family Forum, Polaris Project, and several concerned individuals supported this bill.  Kaiser Permanente supported the intent of this measure.  Imua Alliance and a concerned individual supported this measure with amendments.  The Office of Community Services and Harm Reduction Hawaii opposed this bill.  The Department of the Attorney General, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Human Services, The Sex Abuse Treatment Center, and Healthcare Association of Hawaii provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing it with the contents of H.B. No. 1995, H.D. 2 which assists survivors of human trafficking by:

     (1)  Requiring specified establishments to post a poster that provides the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline telephone number along with other specified information; and

     (2)  Establishes penalties for establishments who willfully and knowingly fail, neglect, or refuse to comply with the posting requirements.

     Your Committee notes that the following issues were raised with regard to the definition of establishment:

     (1)  The size of the farm that should be included; and

     (2)  Whether the definition should include temporary licensees of liquor licenses.

     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 S.B. No. 2123, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2123, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

GILBERT KEITH-AGARAN, Chair