STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2377

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2092

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2092 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish knowingly making a false statement to a county inspector as a crime within the offense of unsworn falsification to authorities.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the County of Maui Planning Department, Keep It Kailua, Lanikai Association, Honolulu City Councilmember Ann H. Kobayashi, and twelve individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that enforcement of ordinances, rules, and regulations is necessary to ensure public health and safety. To that end, inspectors must be able to complete inspections for compliance with ordinances, rules, and regulations without unnecessary interference. Moreover, inspectors should be able to rely on statements provided by interested parties. Therefore, your Committees find that knowingly making a false statement, in oral, written, printed, or electronic form, to a county inspector in the course of the inspector's investigation to ascertain compliance with any ordinance, rule, or regulation should be a crime and fits within the existing offense of unsworn falsification to authorities.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2092 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

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CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair