STAND. COM. REP. NO.  142

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 998

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred H.B. No. 998 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address the unique needs of Hawaii's children with incarcerated parents by requiring the Department of Public Safety to collect intake data relating to the children of incarcerated parents.

The Community Alliance on Prisons, Hawaii Friends of Justice & Civic Education, Family Programs Hawaii, Blueprint for Change, and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Office of Hawaiian Affairs offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Department of Public Safety to collect from incarcerated parents intake data that the Department of Public Safety deems useful to facilitate the provision of services to incarcerated parents or their children; and

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to promote further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 998, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 998, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair