STAND. COM. REP. NO. 82-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1608

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1608 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for four full-time equivalent (4.0 FTE) deputy public defender positions within the Office of the Public Defender, with one position being assigned to the family court section.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Public Defender.

Your Committee finds that every criminal defendant has the right to counsel and right to effective assistance of counsel. In the State's criminal justice system, the Office of the Public Defender is tasked with providing legal representation for indigent criminal defendants. To ensure that staff of the Office of the Public Defender provide representation in compliance with those rights, this measure appropriates funds for further positions and ensures that the Office of the Public Defender is adequately staffed.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $303,720.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1608, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1608, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair