STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1169-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   S.B. No. 2630

      S.D. 1

      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 Public Safety, to which was referred S.B. No. 2630, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to substantially improve Hawaii Correctional Industries' ability to be financially self-supporting, increase work training opportunities for inmates at no additional cost to the State, and update the Department of Public Safety's annual report to the Legislature.  More specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Allows inmates to create approved products and crafts to be sold to the public through the Hawaii Correctional Industries Program;

(2)  Requires the Department of Public Safety to report annually to the Legislature on the:

          (A)  Amount of moneys that have been deposited into the Correctional Industries Revolving Fund from the sale of products and crafts to the public through the Hawaii Correctional Industries Program; and

          (B)  Nexus between the workforce opportunities provided through the Hawaii Correctional Industries Program during incarceration and life after incarceration; and

(3)  Specifies the allocation of the proceeds from the sale of inmates' products and crafts through the Hawaii Correctional Industries Program.

The Department of Public Safety; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Community Alliance on Prisons; Ho‘omana Pono, LLC.; and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  The United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, and AFL-CIO offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Removing the annual reporting requirements to the Legislature;

     (2)  Clarifying that work training programs to increase the employment prospects of inmates after their release shall be offered to appropriately screened inmates in applicable work;

     (3)  Removing provisions that specified approved articles and products manufactured or produced by inmates that may be sold by the Hawaii Correctional Industries Program to the public and specified the scope of labor services allowed and the assessment of reasonable charges;

     (4)  Clarifying that the Director of Public Safety shall approve the articles and products manufactured or produced by inmates that may be sold through the Hawaii Correctional Industries Program to the public;

     (5)  Requiring the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to conduct a feasibility study on establishing a reentry academy for training and entrepreneurial resources;

     (6)  Appropriating funds to effectuate this measure;

     (7)  Making the appropriation take effect on July 1, 2016; and

     (8)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

Should the Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure further, your Committee on Public Safety respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $150,000 for fiscal year 2016-2017 for the feasibility study on establishing a reentry academy for training and entrepreneurial resources as proposed in 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. 2630, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2630, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair