HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.31          
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION
  URGING INCREASED AID FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS.



 1        WHEREAS, domestic violence can affect any citizen of the
 2   State of Hawaii be they men, women, children, the elderly, or
 3   the ill and disabled; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, as of May 1993, over 49,000 women in Hawaii alone
 6   had been victimized by domestic violence and in 1994, the
 7   police reported 7,853 incidents of domestic violence not
 8   including terroristic threatening and felony assault in this
 9   State; and
10   
11        WHEREAS, only about 50% of the victims of domestic
12   violence ever report their abuse, therefore the numbers
13   reported are roughly half the actual number of incidents of
14   domestic violence; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, over 4,000 arrests for domestic violence were
17   made in Hawaii in 1994; and
18   
19        WHEREAS, Hawaii's private social service agencies provided
20   services for at least 5,365 victims of domestic violence in
21   1994 alone; and 
22   
23        WHEREAS, in March of 1993, 1,200 misdemeanor domestic
24   violence cases were dismissed due to lack of judges and
25   courtrooms; and
26   
27        WHEREAS, 42% of murdered women are killed by their husband
28   or boyfriend; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, a victim's first contact and experience with
31   system providers significantly impacts all aspects of the
32   criminal justice system; and
33   
34        WHEREAS, standard bail, which is established by the
35   Judiciary, makes it affordable for suspects to immediately
36   return to mainstream society; now, therefore,
37   
38        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the

 
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                                  H.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
 2   of 1999, the Senate concurring, that Judiciary is requested to
 3   increase the standard bail to protect the victims of domestic
 4   violence; and
 5   
 6        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this
 7   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chief Justice of
 8   the Hawaii Supreme Court.
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10 
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12                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________