STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1569

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   S.B. No. 9

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 9, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide greater protections for animals by requiring that a person convicted of cruelty to animals in the first or second degree shall, in addition to any fine or imprisonment to which that person is sentenced, be prohibited from possessing, owning, or residing with any animal involved in the offense for a minimum of two years or a minimum of one year, respectively, from the date of conviction.

The Honolulu Police Department, Hawaiian Humane Society, and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Office of the Public Defender and Humane Society of the United States provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that a person convicted of cruelty to animals in the first or second degree shall not possess or own any pet animal or equine animal for a set period of time;

     (2)  Increasing the amount of time for which a person convicted of cruelty to animals in the first degree is prohibited from possessing or owning any pet animal or equine animal to a minimum of five years from the date of conviction; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 9, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 9, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair