STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1378-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2452

      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 Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2452, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO JURY DUTY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt mothers who are breastfeeding or expressing milk from jury duty for a period of one year from the birth of a child, for each child that the woman breastfeeds.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Hawaii Section; Breastfeeding Hawaii; Planned Parenthood of Hawaii; and one concerned individual testified in support of this measure.  The Judiciary provided comments.

     Your Committee notes that the Judiciary may not have written policies for exempting prospective jurors who are breastfeeding or for accommodating jurors who need to breastfeed or express milk while serving on a jury.  It has come to your Committee's attention that a number of breastfeeding jurors and prospective jurors may have had difficulty finding information about accommodations available for those breastfeeding and willing to serve on a jury.  Your Committee requests that the Judiciary submit additional information to the Legislature on this matter.

     Your Committee finds that the Judiciary has already mailed information about the current statutory exemptions to prospective jurors for the 2014 cycle.  In order to allow the Judiciary sufficient time to implement this bill, your Committee finds that it is necessary to delay implementation.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1) Increasing the exemption period from jury duty for breastfeeding mothers from one year to two years;

     (2) Deferring its implementation until July 1, 2015; 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. 2452, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2452, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair