STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2756

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2321

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2321, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Require any state or county agency who employs personnel whose job duties require or may require intervention in a domestic violence situation to provide such employees with a minimum of eight hours of domestic violence intervention training; and

     (2)  Appropriate funds to the Department of Public Safety to provide domestic violence intervention training.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, American Association of University Women of Hawaii, Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Women's Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Hawaii Women's Coalition, Parents And Children Together, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, and one individual.

     Your Committees find that domestic violence is a serious social issue in Hawaii.  State and county employees, including law enforcement officers, emergency medical services personnel, firefighters, and judges, can encounter domestic violence situations in the course of their duties.  Domestic violence situations are often complex, sensitive, and difficult to handle effectively.  This measure provides to state and county employees who may encounter domestic violence situations in the course of carrying out their regular duties, training on how to properly intervene in such situations.

     Your Committees note the comments made by the Department of Public Safety that the Department's law enforcement officers are required to complete domestic violence intervention training pursuant to department policies.

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the expending agency from the Department of Public Safety to the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women;

     (2)  Inserting an effective date of January 7, 2059, to encourage further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2321, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2321, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means,

________________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair

________________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair