STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1300-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2556

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2556, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH COURT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to permanently establish and appropriate funds for the Community Outreach Court as a division of the District Court of the First Circuit.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary; Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; Office of the Public Defender; Department of Law Enforcement; Department of Human Services; Partners In Care; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; and ACLU of Hawai‘i. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committee finds that over the course of six years, the Community Court Outreach Project has held several court sessions across Oahu. Through these sessions, the Community Court has addressed more than ten thousand cases, recalled more than nine hundred bench warrants, lifted more than six thousand driver license stoppers, and assisted more than six hundred participants with social services or referrals. This measure would further support the Community Court and provide much needed resources and funding to assist the Court's clients and operations.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 S.B. No. 2556, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2556, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair