STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1035-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2884

      S.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 Public Safety, 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 that funds disbursed to prison inmates upon discharge or parole be subject to legislative appropriation;

(2)  Prohibiting the Hawaii Paroling Authority from granting early discharge to an inmate or parolee if the inmate is serving any portion of a court-ordered mandatory minimum sentence or the inmate or parolee 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, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, Community Alliance on Prisons, Witt Counseling Service, and numerous concerned individuals supported this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2884, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair