STAND. COM. REP. NO.  48-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1785

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1785 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO YOUNG ADULT OFFENDERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make the State's laws that could sentence juveniles to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole consistent with constitutional requirements and Hawaii's value system by:

(1)  Establishing the Young Adult Rehabilitation Special Fund;

(2)  Exempting young adult defendants from life sentences without parole; and

(3)  Prohibiting young adult defendants from being transported out of the state to serve sentences. 

The measure also establishes a temporary young adult rehabilitation advisory group, and appropriates funds to support the purposes of the bill.

The Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Richardson Students for the Rights of Children, and a number of concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Department of Public Safety and Department of Budget and Finance commented on this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate discussion;

(2)  Inserting an unspecified appropriation amount; and

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

     Your Committee respectfully requests that should your Committee on Judiciary choose to consider this measure, the Chair of Human Services be given the opportunity to assist with working out concerns brought up regarding the legal language.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1785, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1785, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

MELE CARROLL, Chair