STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2070

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2884

       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. 2884 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PAROLE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Require the furnishing of funds by the Hawaii Paroling Authority to certain persons for immediate needs upon discharge or parole to be contingent upon legislative appropriations specifically for that purpose;

     (2)  Clarify circumstances under which the Hawaii Paroling Authority may grant early discharges; and

     (3)  Provide discretion to the Hawaii Paroling Authority to grant complete pardons for paroled prisoners who have been paroled for at least five years.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety, Hawaii Paroling Authority, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, and Community Alliance on Prisons.

     Your Committee finds that when offenders are discharged from the correctional system, they often do not have any money.  This measure will address the problem by providing funds to offenders who have undergone a commitment or sentence of more than one year and are exiting the correctional system or being discharged from parole.

     Your Committee additionally finds that the Hawaii Paroling Authority is required to conduct a pardon investigation of every offender who has been on parole for at least five years, regardless of their adjustment to the community, current parole violation status, criminal history, or outstanding restitution that may be owed.  Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Paroling Authority should have discretion in considering a complete pardon of these offenders.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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. 2884, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2884, 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