STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2089

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2088

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2088 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE CAREER CRIMINAL PROSECUTION UNIT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu as a grant-in-aid for the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and county of Honolulu. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that a disproportionate amount of serious crimes are committed by a relatively small number of multiple and repeat felony offenders, commonly known as "career criminals". To address this ongoing problem, the State created the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit, which it originally funded annually. However, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu's Career Criminal Prosecution Unit was periodically scaled back when there was insufficient funding to maintain full staffing. Your Committee believes that money spent on the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit is an efficient use of resources, as it provides citizens with swift and effective justice, reducing heavy caseloads and long court delays. This measure will assist the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu in protecting the public from career criminals by appropriating funds for the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an appropriation amount of $653,360.

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. 2088, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2088, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair