STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2484

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2308

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2308 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to establish within the Department of Human Services a sexually exploited children statewide coordinator and program and a commercial sexual exploitation of children steering committee to address the needs of sexually exploited children in the State. Requires the sexually exploited children statewide program and the commercial sexual exploitation of children steering committee to provide annual reports to the Legislature. Establishes within each county a commercial sexual exploitation of children multidisciplinary team to facilitate the sharing of information and to immediately respond to cases of sexually exploited children.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services; Department of Education; Office of the Public Defender; Police Department, City and County of Honolulu; Police Department, County of Hawai‘i; Hawaii Youth Services Network; Hawai‘i Psychological Association; Breastfeeding Hawaii; Hawaii Women's Coalition; Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii; The Sex Abuse Treatment Center at Kapi‘olani; IMUAlliance; Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism; and two individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from Harm Reduction Hawaii.

Your Committees find that in the last decade, the commercial sexual exploitation of children has garnered greater attention in Hawaii and throughout the United States. The Department of Human Services has received an increasing number of calls on its hotline for witnesses or victims of child sex trafficking. However, because child sex trafficking is covert, it is difficult to accurately measure the scope of the problem and exploited youth may not identify themselves as victims.

Your Committees further find, in order to adequately serve children who have been sexually exploited, a state-wide coordinator and steering committee is needed to develop and utilize comprehensive interagency case management strategies, protocols, and a multi-disciplinary system response to cases that is both victim-centered and offender-focused.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Adding the following individuals to serve as members of the steering committee: a representative from the Office of the Public Defender, a nonprofit service provider that delivers direct intervention services to victims of sex trafficking, and a nonprofit service provider that specializes in long-term residential treatment services for victims of sex trafficking;

(2) Authorizing duly appointed representatives or designees of the listed members to serve on the steering committee; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2308, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2308, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair

________________________________ RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair