STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3042

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2752

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2752 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE COMMUNITY COURT OUTREACH PROJECT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Judiciary to conduct an evaluation study to assess the impact of the Community Court Outreach Project in reducing the administrative burdens within the judicial system and for any staff and technology necessary for conducting the community court at community sites.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Office of the Public Defender, Community Alliance on Prisons, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that the Community Court Outreach Project began in January 2017 as a collaborative pilot project among the Judiciary, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu, and Office of the Public Defender. The project was permanently established by Act 55, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017, as a way to help nonviolent offenders who face problems such as drug abuse and mental health challenges obtain basic services and necessities like food and shelter. Your Committee has heard testimony from the Judiciary reporting that participants in the program have obtained housing, driver's licenses, referrals to social services, and employment in addition to having performed over six hundred forty hours of community service. This measure will provide monies to the Judiciary to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Community Court Outreach Project and expand the project to fulfil its mandate.

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. 2752, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair