STAND. COM. REP. NO.  774-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1669

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1669, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY COURT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to assist the Family Court of the First Circuit in meeting its exceptionally high caseload by appropriating funds to the Judiciary for hiring one judge and three support staff for the Family Court of the First Judicial Circuit.

The State of Hawaii Judiciary; Office of the Public Defender; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu; Domestic Violence Action Center; and several concerned individuals testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Making the appropriation in an unspecified amount;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion; 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 Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1669, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1669, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair