STAND. COM. REP. NO. 733

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 116

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 116, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISCRIMINATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to give any person injured by discriminatory reporting recourse through civil action.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement, Hawaiʻi State LGBTQ+ Commission, Pride at Work Hawaiʻi, Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, Lambda Law Hawaiʻi, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that while citizen vigilance is an important tool in maintaining public safety, there have been numerous instances where individuals have weaponized law enforcement against members of protected classes without any reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. These discriminatory calls not only waste valuable law enforcement resources but also expose innocent individuals to potential harm, humiliation, and long-term reputational damage. This measure aligns with the State's longstanding commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice by holding individuals accountable for making discriminatory reports to law enforcement.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of September 1, 2025.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 116, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 116, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

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KARL RHOADS, Chair