STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1000-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: H.B. No. 2069

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2069 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY FORFEITURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Prohibit civil asset forfeiture except when the covered offense is chargeable as a felony and the owner of the asset has been convicted; and

(2) Require the Attorney General to deposit the net proceeds of the forfeited property to the credit of the state general fund.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Public Defender, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, Community Alliance on Prisons, and six individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Hawaii, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, and Honolulu Police Department. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2069, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2069, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair