STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2667

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2849

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 Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2849 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT STANDARDS BOARD,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Clarify membership and certain powers and duties of the Law Enforcement Standards Board;

(2) Establish new deadlines for the completion of Board responsibilities; and

(3) Appropriate funds and resources to enable the Board to accomplish its mission.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Public Safety, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Transportation, Hawai‘i Police Department, and one individual.

Your Committees find that Act 220, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018, established the Law Enforcement Standards Board for the certification of law enforcement officers throughout the State. The Board is responsible for overseeing the regulation of law enforcement officers and standards and has specific duties such as establishing minimum standards for law enforcement officers and creating minimum criminal justice curriculum requirements. Your Committees believe that these standards are critical to maintaining public health, safety, and welfare. Your Committees also find that to carry out its responsibilities, the Board must consult and cooperate with various government agencies, universities and colleges, and other institutions concerning the development of law enforcement. Your Committees believe that increasing the size of the Board and allowing ex-officio members to have designees will expand the perspective of the Board and equip the Board with better tools to carry out its various responsibilities.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have exempted the Administrator for the Law Enforcement Standards Board from civil service; and

(2) 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 Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2849, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2849, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair