SSCR1627

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1627

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NOS. 636, 637

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 636 and 637, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

Crime Victim Compensation Commission

G.M. No. 636

MARTHA ROSS,

for a term to expire 6-30-2018; and

G.M. No. 637

MARI MCCAIG,

for a term to expire 6-30-2019,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Martha Ross and Mari McCaig to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Crime Victim Compensation Commission.

MARTHA ROSS

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Martha Ross from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Crime Victim Compensation Commission, Sex Abuse Treatment Center, and seventeen individuals.

Ms. Ross is a licensed social worker who has demonstrated a commitment to the community and a deep understanding of victim advocacy with over thirty years of professional experience. She spent seventeen years at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs where she held various positions, including Deputy Administrator of Programs; Director of Planning, Research, and Evaluation; and Special Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Ross also worked as an Advocate and Counselor to victims and witnesses of violent crimes and established and coordinated the Victim-Witness Assistance Volunteer Program at the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu. She is the Co‑Founder of the Violence Prevention Consortium, a collaboration of individuals, agencies, and organizations that aim to prevent violence in homes, schools, and communities.

Ms. Ross received a Master's in Social Work from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Welfare from Pennsylvania State University.

Your Committee finds that Ms. Ross' professional background and knowledge, as well as her continuing commitment to the community and victims of crimes, will be an asset to the Crime Victim Compensation Commission.

MARI MCCAIG

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Mari McCaig from the Crime Victim Compensation Commission and six individuals.

Ms. McCaig currently serves as the Chairperson of the Crime Victim Compensation Commission, where she has shown dedication in her service and consistently performed her civil responsibilities. For over thirty years, Ms. McCaig, a certified Cognitive Trauma Specialist, has compassionately advocated for crime victims, and her professional experience has demonstrated a commitment to the community. Ms. McCaig spent twenty-two years with the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu providing counseling and support to victims and witnesses involved in criminal cases as a Victim and Witness Counselor and Director of the Visitor Assistance Program. In recognition of her exemplary service to the community, Ms. McCaig received the Liberty Bell Award in 2003 from the Hawaii State Bar Association.

Ms. McCaig received a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and French from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Your Committee finds that Ms. McCaig's compassion, experience as the current Chairperson of the Crime Victim Compensation Commission, and commitment to public service will continue to provide a valuable perspective on the Crime Victim Compensation Commission.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair