STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1666

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 90

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 90 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE DETAILING THE DEPARTMENT'S PROCESS IN ASSISTING INMATES IN OBTAINING IDENTIFICATION CARDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Public Safety to submit a report to the Legislature detailing the Department's process in assisting inmates in obtaining identification cards.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Community Alliance on Prisons. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Public Safety.

Your Committee finds that past legislatures have appropriated funds to the Department of Public Safety to start the process of reentry by ensuring that everyone who is released from incarceration has a valid identification card. For example, in 2016, the Legislature appropriated $25,000 to the Department of Public Safety for the purpose of creating identification cards for inmates, and in 2022 the Legislature appropriated $100,000 to the Department of Public Safety to purchase machines for data input at each facility to implement the identification card program. Your Committee believes that the use of public funds allocated for ensuring that each person is released from incarceration with a valid identification card should be public information. This measure will reassure the public that public funds allocated to assist inmates in obtaining identification cards are being used for their intended purpose.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 90, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 90, S.D. 1.

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

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GLENN WAKAI, Chair