STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1597

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.R. No. 149

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 Public Safety, to which was referred H.R. No. 149 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO PERFORM A COMPREHENSIVE FORENSIC AUDIT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION AND DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES REGARDING SPENDING RELATED TO THE PLANNING, DESIGN, FINANCING, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE OF A NEW JAIL TO REPLACE THE OAHU COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used and managed responsibly by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Department of Accounting and General Services with regards to the planning, design, financing, construction, and maintenance of a new jail to replace the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the ACLU of Hawaii, Kauai Women's Caucus, and twenty-five individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Corrections' plans for expansion and construction for the new Oahu Community Correctional Center have an estimated cost of $1,000,000,000, making it the single largest public works project in state history. Your Committee also notes that this does not include the recurring costs of operation, and that the department has already expended $25,000,000 on planning consultants alone, without providing a full accounting of how past funding relating to the proposed project has been spent.

Your Committee finds that increased transparency with regards to the proposed construction of a new Oahu Community Correctional Center is necessary to improve public trust, eliminate and prevent fraud, examine the realities of the return on taxpayers' investment, and ultimately ensure responsible use of public funds.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Replacing "forensic" with "management, performance, and financial" with regards to the descriptors of audit type, per the Office of the Auditor's comments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 149, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 149, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair