STAND. COM. REP. NO. 939-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: H.B. No. 2272

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. 2272, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEXUAL OFFENSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to protect minors from sexual exploitation by:

(1) Establishing the offense of promoting the prostitution of a minor;

(2) Establishing the offense of solicitation of another for prostitution of a minor;

(3) Amending the offense of solicitation of a minor for prostitution by:

(A) Specifying that the act of offering or agreeing to provide any type of consideration, rather than payment of a fee, constitutes solicitation of a minor; and

(B) Clarifying that the offender's state of mind requirement does not apply when the person solicited is a law enforcement officer who holds that person's self out as a minor; and

(4) Amending the offenses of electronic enticement of a child in the first degree and electronic enticement of a child in the second degree to include:

(A) Intentionally or knowingly communicating with another person who represents that person to have control or custody of a minor, including a parent or guardian; or

(B) With the intent to promote or facilitate the commission of an applicable felony, agreeing to meet with another person who represents that person to have control or custody of a minor.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Honolulu Police Department, Hawaii Youth Services Network, and Parents and Children Together. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and IMUAlliance.

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. 2272, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair