STAND. COM. REP. NO. 257

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 187

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 Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 187 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISTRICT COURT JUDGES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish one additional district court judgeship in the First Circuit and in the Second Circuit.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Maui, Maui County Bar Association, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that there is significant congestion in the District Courts of the First and Second Circuits. Your Committee further finds that it has been thirty-seven years since a Second Circuit District Court judgeship has been established and that, in that time, the number of people living within the area served by the Second Circuit has more than doubled. Your Committee additionally finds that congestion in a court causes significant delays in cases and reduces the attention that a judge can give to the matters before the court. This measure will reduce the congestion by establishing additional district court judgeships in the First Circuit and the Second Circuit.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making an appropriation of $170,000 in fiscal year 2019‑2020, and $330,000 in fiscal year 2020-2021, for each of the new district court judgeships; and

(2) 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 Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 187, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 187, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

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KARL RHOADS, Chair