CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 58

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 727

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 727, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WOMEN'S COURT,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to

(1) Make the Women's Court Pilot Program in the First Circuit permanent;

(2) Establish and appropriate funds for a three-year Women's Court Pilot Program in the Kona division of the Third Circuit; and

(3) Require the Judiciary to submit a report to the Legislature regarding the need for and the associated costs of a pilot program for Women's Court in the Second and Fifth Circuits and Hilo division of the Third Circuit.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Codifying the Women's Court Program in the First Circuit within the Hawaii Revised Statutes, rather than the Session Laws of Hawaii;

(2) Requiring the Judiciary to be responsible for providing mental health services under the Women's Court Pilot Program in the Kona division of the Third Circuit;

(3) Changing the duration of the Women's Court Pilot Program in the Kona division of the Third Circuit from three years to two years;

(4) Appropriating $514,900 for fiscal year 2025-2026 and $557,000 for fiscal year 2026-2027 for mental health, substance abuse treatment, and other services and equipment, and the establishment of one full-time equivalent temporary Kona drug court probation supervisor position for the Women's Court Pilot Program in the Kona division of the Third Circuit;

(5) Deleting language that would have required the Judiciary to submit a report to the Legislature regarding the need for and the associated costs of a pilot program for Women's Court in the Second and Fifth Circuits and Hilo division of the Third Circuit;

(6) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2025;

(7) Changing the sunset date for the Women's Court Pilot Program in the Kona division of the Third Circuit to June 30, 2027; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 727, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 727, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ KARL RHOADS Chair	____________________________ DAVID A. TARNAS Co-Chair
____________________________ LYNN DECOITE Co-Chair	____________________________ LISA KITAGAWA Co-Chair