STAND. COM. REP. NO. 304

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1230

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1230 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO YOUTH SERVICES PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to permit individual non-justice vocation programs within the purview of the Office of Youth Services to engage in commercial enterprises, including the sales of goods and services, for self-sustainability purposes.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Office of Youth Services, and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that Act 201, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014 (Act 201), initiated juvenile justice reforms in Hawaii to improve and enhance Hawaii's juvenile justice system. Working collaboratively cross-sector, there has been a twenty-six percent reduction in admissions to the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility since Act 201 became law. Your Committee further finds that Act 208, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018, established the Kawailoa Youth and Family Wellness Center (Wellness Center) at the campus of the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility, to provide much needed services for at-risk youth and young adults, including victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Innovative programs have come out of the Wellness Center but currently the programs cannot engage in commercial enterprises, including the sales of goods and services. This measure allows the Office of Youth Services to create and expand career and vocation programs through the establishment of a revolving fund that would receive proceeds from sales of products and services generated by young adults participating in these programs. These programs will provide skills building, vocational training, and economic programing to better prepare young adults for entry into the workforce.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying criteria for the individuals able to participate in the vocational training programs offered by the Office of Youth Services;

(2) Inserting definitions for "youth" and "commercial enterprise";

(3) Specifying that the effective date for the appropriations in this measure is July 1, 2019; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1230, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1230, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

________________________________

RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair