STAND. COM. REP. NO.  456-14

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1981

      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. 1981 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO A BASIC BILL OF RIGHTS FOR VICTIMS AND WITNESSES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to protect child victims of serious crimes by giving their cases priority over other pending cases on a court's criminal case calendar.  This will prevent setbacks in the child's recovery which may be caused from the child's having to testify about traumatizing events after prolonged delay and after healing has begun.

 

     Two concerned individuals testified in support of this measure.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

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

 

(2)  Making numerous technical, nonsubstantive amendments to conform with standard drafting conventions.

 

     Your Committee recognizes that although this is an important issue, very little testimony was received, and no testimony was provided by any of the affected governmental agencies.  Because of the mandatory nature of the proposals set forth in this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that should your Committee on Judiciary choose to consider this measure, it should consider soliciting input from agencies who may be interested or involved.

 

     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. 1981, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1981, 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