STAND. COM. REP. NO. 734

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 394

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. 394 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE VICTIM WITNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds as a grant-in-aid to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu for the Victim Witness Assistance Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committee finds that the funding provided by this measure will help guide victims, witnesses, and surviving family members through the criminal justice system.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount; and

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $736,785 for fiscal year 2025-2026.

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. 394, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 394, 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