STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2256

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2173

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2173 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds as a grant-in-aid to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu for the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Maui Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, and Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committees find that supporting a strong and effective prosecutor's office is vital to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public. It has long been a recognized problem that a relatively small number of repeat criminals, or "career criminals", commit a disproportionate number of the serious crimes against the public. For that reason, the Legislature created the career criminal prosecution program in 1979. This program has been effective in assisting prosecutors' offices in delivering swift and effective justice. Accordingly, it is important to continue to provide funding to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu for its Career Criminal Prosecution Unit so that the department may continue to protect the public from these dangerous career criminals.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2173 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair