STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2317

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2091

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2091 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to specify that certain offenses that occur on a public transit vehicle or at or within a public transit facility are class C felonies.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Honolulu Police Department and one individual.

Your Committee finds that enhanced penalties are appropriate and necessary for certain offenses occurring on a public transit vehicle, or at or within a public transit facility, to protect users of public transit services. Your Committee further finds that since 2017, there have been six hundred eighteen incidents of crimes that were reported on Honolulu's buses, with two hundred seventy-five events reported to or involved the Honolulu Police Department, and fifty-two involving an arrest. Your Committee believes that it is essential to ensure that public transit vehicles and facilities are safe and secure. This measure will protect public transit riders by establishing that certain offenses are now class C felonies when occurring on transit vehicles or transit public places.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2091, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2091, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

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CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair