STAND. COM. REP. NO. 879

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: H.B. No. 571

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 571, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILDLIKE SEX DOLLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish the felony offence of importation, sale, or possession of a childlike sex doll.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, Honolulu Police Department, Maui Police Department, and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Public Safety.

Your Committee finds that the ownership or possession of a childlike sex doll correlates with other offenses perpetrated against children and may reinforce pedophilic thoughts and cause those thoughts to be acted upon with greater urgency. Your Committee further finds that other jurisdictions have passed or introduced legislation imposing criminal penalties for selling or possessing a childlike sex doll. The ban proposed by this measure will help protect the State's most vulnerable population from predatory sex offenders.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Lowering the threshold for the number of childlike sex dolls in a person's possession before the offense increases from a class C felony to a class B felony from ten to five; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 571, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 571, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair