STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2735

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2909

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2909, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to consolidate the State's law enforcement functions.

More specifically, this measure:

(1) Establishes an enforcement division in the Department of the Attorney General;

(2) Transfers the law enforcement activities of the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, the Department of Public Safety's state law enforcement officers and narcotics enforcement division, and the Department of Transportation's harbors division to the newly-established enforcement division of the Department of the Attorney General; and

(3) Repeals the sunset date of Act 116, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, as amended by section 4 of Act 101, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association and two individuals.

Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Public Safety, Department of Transportation, The Nature Conservancy, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that consolidating all of the State's law enforcement functions under the Department of the Attorney General may lead to improved efficiency in law enforcement across the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting an obsolete reference;

(2) Changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(3) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2909, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2909, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair