STAND. COM. REP. NO. 213-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 1769

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1769 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EXPERT WITNESS FEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify the allowable fees for reimbursing expert witnesses who are legally required to attend state court or grand jury criminal proceedings.

The City and County of Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, County of Maui Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, County of Kauai Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, and County of Hawaii Office of the Prosecuting Attorney testified in support of this measure. The Office of the Public Defender provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Limiting expert witness fees to reasonable fees;

(2) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion; and

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

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 H.B. No. 1769, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1769, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

SCOTT Y. NISHIMOTO, Chair