STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1569-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2884

      S.D. 2

      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 Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2884, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PAROLE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify the responsibilities and duties of the Hawaii Paroling Authority by:

     (1)  Requiring Authority expenditures for the cost and maintenance of committed persons, such as expenditures for funds disbursed to committed persons upon discharge or parole, be authorized and allocated by legislative appropriation;

     (2)  Prohibiting the Hawaii Paroling Authority from granting early discharge to an inmate or parolee who is serving any portion of a court-ordered mandatory minimum sentence or owes restitution for an unexpired term; and

     (3)  Making discretionary the Hawaii Paroling Authority's decision to consider recommending a complete pardon to a prisoner who has been on parole for at least five years.

The Department of Public Safety, Hawaii Paroling Authority, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Community Alliance on Prisons, and a few individuals provided testimony in support of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of 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 S.B. No. 2884, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2884, S.D. 2, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair