CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 7-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2014

RE:    S.B. No. 2589

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2589, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to transfer law enforcement functions and authority related to harbors law enforcement from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Public Safety.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that the Department of Public Safety, Sheriff Division, would be better suited than the Department of Transportation to perform law enforcement functions relating to harbors.  Your Committee on Conference further finds that consolidating harbor law enforcement functions in the Department of Public Safety and requiring harbor police officers to meet state sheriff qualifications will benefit the State by standardizing skill requirements and increasing professionalism.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the transfer is effective July 1, 2016;

(2)  Inserting language to amend section 266-29, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to clarify that effective July 1, 2016, the issuance of citations or notices of infractions of the state harbors civil violations system shall be under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Safety, and all other functions and responsibilities shall remain with the Department of Transportation;

     (3)  Inserting language to amend section 353C-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to establish a harbors section within the Department of Public Safety, transfer harbors functions from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Public Safety, and require harbor police officers to meet the same qualifications as sheriffs of the Department of Public Safety; and

(4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2589, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2589, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Co-Chair	____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair
____________________________ HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Co-Chair	____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Co-Chair
____________________________ GREGG TAKAYAMA, Co-Chair	____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Co-Chair