THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	82
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Requesting the establishment of a task force to make RECOMMENDATIONS for the implementation of a correctional TRAINING and professional development office.

     WHEREAS, the Department of Public Safety has over two thousand five hundred authorized positions; and

     WHEREAS, untrained or poorly trained staff can lead to an unsafe workplace, low morale, and an inefficient workforce; and

     WHEREAS, due to budgetary constraints, the Department of Public Safety lacks a standardized training program for current employees and a coordinated effort to sustain a skilled and experienced workforce; and

     WHEREAS, properly trained employees can help to properly manage inmates and reduce recidivism, which can help the State to reduce correctional costs; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Director of Public Safety is requested to establish a task force to make recommendations for the implementation of a correctional training and professional development office, which would provide standardized training and related professional development to corrections employees; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the recommendations include:

     (1)  The organizational structure for the correctional training and professional development office;

     (2)  The number of employees of the office;

     (3)  The annual estimated budget of the office;

     (4)  Certifications provided by the office to state employees; and

     (5)  Courses offered by the office; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature requests that the task force consist of seven members as follows:

     (1)  The Director of Public Safety, or the Director's designee, who shall serve as the chairperson of the task force;

     (2)  The State Director of United Public Workers AFSCME Local 646 AFL-CIO, or the State Director's designee;

     (3)  An adult corrections officer appointed by the Director of Public Safety;

     (4)  The head of the Department of Public Safety Basic Corrections Training Program, or the head's designee;

     (5)  The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or the Chairperson's designee;

     (6)  A faculty member with expertise in criminology or penology appointed by the President of the University of Hawaii; and

     (7)  A former prison inmate appointed by the Director of Public Safety; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature requests that all members of the task force be appointed no later than thirty days after the adjournment sine die Regular Session of 2017, and that the task force convene its initial meeting within thirty days after appointment of the last member; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Department of Public Safety is requested to provide administrative support to the task force; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Public Safety, the State Director of United Public Workers AFSCME Local 646 AFL-CIO, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the President of the University of Hawaii System

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Department of Public Safety; Training Program; Professional Development