STAND. COM. REP. NO. 622

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 280

H.D. 2

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 280, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH COURT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to permanently establish and appropriate funds for the Community Outreach Court as a division of the District Court of the First Circuit.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary; Office of the Public Defender; Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center; and Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committee finds that since its inception, the Community Court Outreach Project has held several court sessions across Oahu. Through these sessions, the Community Court Outreach Project has addressed more than ten thousand cases, recalled more than nine hundred bench warrants, lifted more than seven thousand driver license stoppers, and assisted more than six hundred participants with social services or referrals. This measure would further support the Community Court Outreach Project and provide much needed resources and funding to assist the Court's clients and operations.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Providing that the Community Outreach Court may only hear and dispose of cases involving nonviolent, nonfelony offenses under laws of the State and ordinances of the City and County of Honolulu determined to be appropriate by the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu;

(2) Amending the process for the prosecuting attorney to select participants into the Community Outreach Court and enter into plea agreement negotiations;

(3) Authorizing the Judiciary, pursuant to its appropriation for the operations of the Community Outreach Court, to enter into intergovernmental agreements or memorandums of understanding with any agency of the State or the City and County of Honolulu for the purpose of collaboration, cooperation, coordination, combination of resources, funding distribution, or the administration of Community Outreach Court; and

(4) 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 H.B. No. 280, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 280, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair