HB2621

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2621
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to LAW ENFORCEMENT.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that more information is needed to assess the efficacy of "weed and seed" programs, and to determine the impact of the programs on the State's communities. Weed and seed programs, originally founded by former president George H. W. Bush, involve increased policing in communities having high crime rates. Some evidence suggests that this strategy disproportionately targets marginalized communities and results in the militarization or over-policing of low-income neighborhoods. The program may also result in unjustly high criminal sentences for persons who happen to be arrested in designated weed and seed areas.

The legislature believes that the State should reevaluate weed and seed programs in Hawaii to ensure that the programs are effective at reducing crime without militarizing the State's neighborhoods or disproportionately impacting marginalized communities.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish a task force on ethical policing to evaluate the efficacy and impact of weed and seed programs.

SECTION 2. (a) There is established a task force on ethical policing within the department of the attorney general for administrative purposes. The task force shall comprise:

(1) A representative from the office of the attorney general;

(2) A representative from each branch office of the office of the public defender;

(3) A representative from the office of the prosecuting attorney for each county;

(4) A representative from the Hawaii correctional system oversight commission;

(5) A representative from the judiciary;

(6) A representative from the office of the governor;

(7) The president of the senate, or the president's designee;

(8) The speaker of the house of representatives, or the speaker's designee;

(9) A representative from the university of Hawaii college of social sciences having a background in criminal justice research; and

(10) A member of the public having a background in criminal justice work, who shall be selected and invited to participate by the chair of the task force.

(b) At its initial meeting, which shall occur no later than thirty days after the effective date of this Act, the task force shall elect a chair and vice chair from among its members.

(d) The task force shall use crime, arrest, prosecution, and policing data from the last years, compiled with the assistance of the Hawaii criminal justice data center, to evaluate the efficacy and impact of weed and seed programs in Hawaii, including the programs' effect on:

(1) Crime rates in designated weed and seed areas;

(2) Crime rates in communities adjacent to designated weed and seed areas;

(3) Arrest rates in designated weed and seed areas for persons who are black, indigenous, or persons of color, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders;

(4) Arrest rates in designated weed and seed areas for low-income persons and unsheltered persons;

(5) Average sentence lengths for persons arrested in designated weed and seed areas;

(6) The average number of law enforcement officers present in designated weed and seed areas; and

(7) The perception of residents who live and work in designated weed and seed areas of the quality and frequency of their encounters with law enforcement officers.

(e) The task force shall seek input from residents who live and work in designated weed and seed areas for purposes of subsection (d)(7).

(f) Members of the task force shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties.

(g) The task force shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2025.

(h) The task force on ethical policing shall ceased to exist on July 1, 2025.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________