STAND. COM. REP. NO. 527-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: H.B. No. 1918

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Veterans, & Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1918 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to create a task force to study and recommend to the Legislature a site for a new jail to replace the Hawaii Community Correctional Center's primary facility on three acres in downtown Hilo, Hawaii, and to consider alternative governmental uses for the existing site.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety and five individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, Community Alliance on Prisons, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Community Correctional Center is over capacity and a replacement is needed. Your Committee acknowledges testimony that the current facility is surrounded by residential homes, with Hilo High School and Hilo Intermediate School in close proximity. Accordingly, your Committee supports the creation of a task force to explore options for an alternative correctional center site and ways the existing facility can be repurposed.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting members of the House of Representatives and Senate from the membership of the task force; and

(2) Deleting the reference to task force members being excluded from chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes, based on testimony from the Hawaii State Ethics Commission that the Commission's longstanding practice is to exclude task force members from the general provisions of the Ethics Code.

Should your Committee on Finance decide to hear this measure, your Committee respectfully notes that the Department of Public Safety is requesting that it consider appropriating $3,000,000 for a study to include a new site for the Hawaii Community Correctional Center and also for a correctional facility in West Hawaii.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Veterans, & Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1918, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1918, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Veterans, & Military Affairs,

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair