STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2106

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2392

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. 2392 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Judiciary to purchase civil legal services for low and moderate income persons.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Human Services, Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i, Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i, Hawaii Justice Foundation, Filipina Advocacy Network, The Legal Clinic, Hawai‘i Access to Justice Commission, and four individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that legal services are often prohibitively expensive for low and moderate income persons. Your Committee further finds that a number of non-profit and volunteer organizations exist to provide quality legal services to persons who require services but lack the resources to pay for them. Your Committee additionally finds that, although these organizations generally function on a volunteer basis, they still require funding for operating costs and other expenses. This measure will support these organizations by providing legal services to those in need.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing language that refers to specific nonprofit and volunteer organizations in section 1; and

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

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. 2392, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2392, 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