STAND. COM. REP. NO. 850

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1128

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1128, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OFFICE OF YOUTH SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish:

(1) Self-funded commercial enterprises vocational programs within the Office of Youth Services for disenfranchised young adults; and

(2) A revolving fund within the Office of Youth Services, for the receipt of income and payment of expenses generated from the commercial enterprise vocational programs.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Department of Human Services; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Office of Youth Services; Hale Kipa; Community Alliance on Prisons; Kanaeokana; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Residential Youth Services & Empowerment; Kinai ‘Eha; Kūpuna for the Mo‘opuna; Papa Ola Lōkahi; Kamehameha Schools; Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture; Iolani Palace; Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement; Partners in Development Foundation; The Queen's Health Systems; Boys & Girl Club of Hawaii; Bishop Museum; Native Hawaiian Education Council; ‘Ekolu Mea Nui; and fifteen individuals.

Your Committees find that Act 201, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014, initiated juvenile justice reform in Hawaii to improve and enhance Hawai‘i's juvenile justice system. Since the Act's enactment, there has been a twenty-six percent reduction in admissions to the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility. Additionally, Act 208, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018, established the Kawailoa Youth and Family Wellness Center at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility to provide much needed services for underserved youth and young adults. Innovative non-competitive commercial programs have commenced that have provided skills building, vocational training, and economic programming to prepare young adults for entry into the workforce, especially in fields such as farming and ranching. This initiative also allows for the Office of Youth Services to continue its Connect 2 Careers partnership which is formed to build, measure, and scale high-quality, rigorous work-based immersive learning experiences that align with local, county, and state economic and labor market needs.

Further, your Committees find that allowing the Office of Youth Services to maintain a revolving fund will ensure that the Kawailoa Youth and Family Wellness Center's commercial enterprise program will provide values- and strengths-based economic opportunities and job training that is critical to the ongoing rehabilitation and long-term success of its participants. These vocational programs are gearing up to improve the employment and productive citizenship status of young adults by braking cycles of incarceration and guiding young adults toward learning valuable job skills, earning a living wage, and becoming financially secure leaders who contribute to their communities.

Your Committees have amended this measure by 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 Judiciary and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1128, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1128, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means,

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair