STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3050

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2107

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2107 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SPECIAL COUNSEL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Attorney General to appoint a special counsel to assume the Attorney General's powers and responsibilities over an investigation, prosecution, or administrative action if direct involvement of the Department of the Attorney General presents a conflict of interest, and having outside counsel is in the public interest.

Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that authorizing the Attorney General to appoint a special counsel in certain matters will provide the Attorney General with another means to resolve conflicts of interest that involve the Attorney General personally or the Department of the Attorney General as a whole.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2107, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2107, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair