STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1263

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 579

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 579, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a statewide Human Trafficking Prevention Program within the Department of the Attorney General to provide services and assistance to commercially sexually exploited children and victims of human trafficking; and

(2) Require the Department of the Attorney General to report to the Legislature on the State's efforts to address the commercial sexual exploitation of children and human trafficking.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Zonta Club of Hilo, and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii has the highest rate of missing persons per capita in the nation. Collaboration between departments, federal and state law enforcement, stakeholders, and providers is critical to locating victims and helps minimize the duplication of efforts across entities. To promote more structured, systematic, streamlined collaboration between agencies, this measure establishes a statewide program to address human trafficking.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Department of the Attorney General to submit a report on the State's efforts to address the commercial sexual exploitation of children to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2026, rather than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024;

(2) Requiring the Department of the Attorney General to submit a report on the State's efforts to address human trafficking to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027, rather than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025;

(3) Inserting an effective date of June 30, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 579, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 579, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair