STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1463-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   S.B. No. 2912

      S.D. 2

      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 Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2912, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE STATEWIDE INTEGRATED SEX OFFENDER TREATMENT PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to align state programs with nationally recognized best practices in the assessment, evaluation, treatment, and supervision of sex offenders.  This measure identifies the coordinating body for the sex offender treatment program as the "sex offender management team" and exempts the sex offender treatment program from the requirements of chapter 92, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), including the Sunshine Law.

The Judiciary, Department of Public Safety, and Ho‘omana Pono, LLC testified in support of this measure.  The League of Women Voters of Hawaii and Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest testified in opposition.  The Office of Information Practices provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Expanding the sex offender treatment program to include juvenile sex offenders in cases where family court jurisdiction was waived;

     (2)  Clarifying the list of agencies that implement the sex offender treatment program;

     (3)  Specifying that the Sex Offender Management Team may hold meetings closed to the public pursuant to section 92-4, HRS, to consider information relating to individual sex offenders where disclosure of the information would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; and

     (4)  Making it take effect upon its approval.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2912, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2912, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair