STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1656

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 112

S.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 S.B. No. 112, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO POLICE REPORTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow surviving immediate family members of deceased persons for whom law enforcement initiated an investigation to receive a copy of the closing report prepared by the investigating police department after a certain period of time elapses.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaiʻi Police Department; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu; and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Information Practices.

Your Committee finds that when a family loses a loved one under circumstances requiring a law enforcement investigation, unanswered questions can linger for years, prolonging their grief and uncertainty. Access to the investigative closing report can provide critical information and, in some cases, a sense of closure. However, obtaining these reports is often an arduous process, with some families waiting years to receive them. This measure ensures that surviving immediate family members can obtain the closing report of a law enforcement investigation into their relative's death within a specified timeframe, providing greater transparency and support for grieving families.

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. 112, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair