STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1206-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2927

S.D. 1

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 S.B. No. 2927, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE VI, SECTION 3 OF THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION TO MAKE THE SENATE CONFIRMATION PROCESS FOR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS MORE UNIFORM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to propose an amendment to article VI, section 3, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii to make the appointment and senate consent procedure for district court judges the same as the appointment and senate consent procedure for supreme court justices and intermediate court of appeals and circuit court judges.

Your Committee did not receive any written testimony on this measure.

Your Committee finds that the existing senate consent process for district court judges, whereby a district court appointee is automatically considered rejected if not consented to by the Senate within thirty days of receipt of the appointment, is inefficient. The Hawaii State Legislature is a part-time legislature, which means that the Senate must convene special sessions throughout the year for the sole purpose of consenting to district court appointments. Your Committee believes that it would be more fiscally prudent and efficient for district court appointments to be automatically considered consented to if the Senate fails to reject the appointment within thirty days.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

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

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

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 S.B. No. 2927, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2927, S.D. 1, 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