STAND. COM. REP. NO. 747

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 490

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 490, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMPLIANCE ON HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate monies to the Department of Law Enforcement to hire law enforcement officers dedicated to investigating complaints, conducting investigations, and cooperating with enforcement authorities to ensure compliance with all state laws and rules and county ordinances on Hawaiian home lands.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement.

Your Committees find that illegal activity occurring on Hawaiian home lands threatens the health and safety of the community. Responses to these issues by law enforcement, however, are inconsistent across the different counties. This measure appropriates monies to hire law enforcement officers dedicated to the Hawaiian home lands, which will allow for better coordination between state and county law enforcement and sufficient enforcement personnel for the Hawaiian home lands. 

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Adding language to provide that the law enforcement officers hired, though dedicated to the Hawaiian home lands, shall not be prohibited from exercising their law enforcement authority outside of the Hawaiian home lands; and

(2) Inserting an effective date of March 22, 2075, to encourage further discussion.

Your Committees note that the Senate Draft 2 of this measure contains an unspecified appropriation amount. Should subsequent committees to which this measure is referred choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committees respectfully request that consideration be given to inserting an appropriation amount of $1,132,000 for twelve full-time equivalent (12.0 FTE) law enforcement officers.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 490, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 490, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means,

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair