STAND. COM. REP. NO.  865-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 1580

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1580 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WEED AND SEED STRATEGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate $400,000 to maintain and expand the United States Department of Justice's Weed and Seed Strategy to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in targeted neighborhoods by weeding out the criminal element in the community and replacing it with human services that include prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood revitalization.

Meadow Gold Dairies and many individuals provided testimony in support of the measure.  The Department of the Attorney General provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriation amount to an unspecified sum; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion.

     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 H.B. No. 1580, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1580, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair