STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2066

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2309

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2309 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the establishment and implementation of a residential reentry facility and day reporting program for criminal offenders, including offenders in the work furlough program.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety and Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the City and County of Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.

     Your Committee finds that the State has an extensive problem with recidivism and prison capacity.  Reentry programs house offenders in transitional environments while they learn to reengage with the community and learn how to confront the many obstacles in their path to successful reintegration.  To alleviate the State's problems with recidivism and to meet the needs of adult offenders, this measure appropriates funds for the Department of Public Safety to establish and implement a residential reentry facility and day reporting program for criminal offenders, including offenders in the work furlough program.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding language to the purpose section to clarify that offenders in the work furlough program may be residents of the reentry facility and day reporting program;

     (2)  Adding language to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds and amending the source of funding to general obligation bond proceeds; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2309, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2309, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair