STAND. COM. REP. NO. 697

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 664

H.D. 1

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. 664 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to conduct community outreach on gun violence prevention, develop and administer a Gun Violence Prevention Grant Program, and develop and administer a gun violence resource bank; and

(2) Establish the Gun Violence Prevention Special Fund and appropriate funds into and out of the special fund.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement; Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence; Giffords; COFACAN; Everytown for Gun Safety; Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Hawaiʻi Chapter; Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from nine individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Budget and Finance; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that creating a specific office for gun violence prevention will allow the State to develop targeted, strategic initiatives and policies that are focused solely on reducing gun violence.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Establishing standards for the distribution of funds as grants under the Gun Violence Prevention Grant Program;

(2) Specifying that funds in the Gun Violence Prevention Special Fund shall be used for the awarding of grants to organizations to conduct community-based gun violence intervention initiatives;

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

(4) 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 $1,044,926 for appropriate staffing and to operate the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

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. 664, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 664, 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