STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2406

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2100

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2100 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISTRICT JUDGES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to increase the number of District Court judges in the Second Judicial Circuit from three to four judges.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary and Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, County of Maui.

     Your Committee finds that 1982 was the last time the number of presiding judges in the Second Judicial Circuit was increased.  Since that time, the population of the County of Maui has more than doubled.  An increase in population results in an increase in caseload, particularly in the District Courts where traffic, criminal cases of misdemeanor and lesser graded offenses, small claims, and smaller civil cases are tried.  District Court judges also routinely review search warrants at all hours, handle weekend review of probable cause matters, and review criminal information to determine probable cause.  This measure authorizes one additional District Court judge in the Second Judicial Circuit to handle the increased caseload and enable judges to attend to other judicial responsibilities of the District Court.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an appropriation of $329,496 for fiscal year 2016-2017 for one full-time equivalent District Court judge and three full-time equivalent staff positions, including related non-recurring costs, for the District Court of the Second Judicial Circuit;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2016; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2100, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2100, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair