STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1037-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 2051

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 Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2051 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WEED AND SEED STRATEGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Public Safety to "weed" out the criminal element in a community by maintaining the Weed and Seed Strategy, which is a collaborative effort among federal, state, and county level law enforcement agencies, social agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and residents to reclaim, restore, and rebuild communities.

The County of Maui Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Weed and Seed Hawaii, Inc., Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, The Gentry Companies, Waipahu Community Coalition, and many concerned individuals supported this measure. The Department of the Attorney General submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the appropriation is for communities where the Weed and Seed Strategy is currently being implemented;

(2) Changing the expending agency for the appropriation to the Department of the Attorney General, rather than the Department of Public Safety;

(3) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2030; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2051, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2051, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair