STAND. COM. REP. NO. 680

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1220

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1220, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD CHECKS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow the University of Hawaii to conduct criminal history record checks on current or prospective employees and contractors whose positions or duties are related to security of the campus facilities and persons.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Resources Development and University of Hawai‘i System.

Your Committee finds that University of Hawaii campuses have departments of public safety with responsibilities that include protecting persons and property, receiving reports of crime such as sexual assaults, and providing walking escorts and vehicle transportation from dusk to dawn for persons alone on campus at night. There are approximately one hundred sixty University Security Officer positions throughout the ten campuses, and the University anticipates processing approximately fifteen recruitments a year.

Your Committee finds that as of September 2019, the University of Hawaii entered into a delegation agreement with the Department of Human Resources Development for the University of Hawaii to perform all tasks associated with recruiting, selecting, and hiring university security officers, except for the task of completing criminal history record checks. This limitation on the University of Hawaii's authority has negatively affected an efficient hiring of University Security Officers, which will impact the University of Hawaii's ability to ensure the safety of its campuses.

This measure will ensure a strong presence of University Security Officers on the University of Hawaii campuses by enabling the Department of Human Resources Development to delegate the background checks of University Security Officers to the University of Hawaii, thereby allowing the University to perform all aspects of the University Security Officer recruitment process more efficiently. According to the University of Hawaii, background checks will be conducted in a manner like the current process of the Department of Human Resources Development, which includes submittal of fingerprints to the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Should outside vendors be used to conduct the criminal background checks, the estimated cost would be between $40.00 and $90.00 per background check.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1220, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair