STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1258-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2047

S.D. 3

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 Public Safety, to which was referred S.B. No. 2047, S.D. 3, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Auditor to conduct a performance audit of the Department of Public Safety and appropriate funds for the audit.

American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i, Ho‘omanapono Political Action Committee, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Mental Health America of Hawai‘i, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, and several concerned individuals supported this measure. The Department of Public Safety opposed this measure. The Office of the Auditor; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Hawai‘i Friends of Restorative Justice; Hawai‘i Justice Coalition; Community Alliance on Prisons; and several concerned individuals offered comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Narrowing the scope of the performance audit to focus on the Department of Public Safety's mental health services to inmates and pre-trial detainees at the Oahu Community Correctional Center, Halawa Correctional Facility, and Women's Community Correctional Center;

(2) Requiring the Auditor to submit the performance audit to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2019;

(3) Specifying that the funds to be appropriated be used for the performance audit of the Department's mental health services to inmates and pre-trial detainees; and

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to promote further discussion.

Your Committee has incorporated a suggestion made by the Auditor to narrow the scope of the performance audit to ensure that the level or areas of review will be helpful to the Legislature. Your Committee further notes that it is in the best interest of the State to provide effective mental health services to inmates and pre-trial detainees and that the proposed performance audit will be a helpful tool for stakeholders to evaluate these important services.

Should the Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure further, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $150,000 for fiscal year 2018-2019 for the purposes of this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2047, S.D. 3, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2047, S.D. 3, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair