STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3769

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1595

H.D. 1

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 H.B. No. 1595, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EXPUNGEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of the Attorney General to establish, and require the Hawaii Criminal Justice Center to submit legislation regarding, a temporary pilot project to expunge certain arrest records relating to the possession of marijuana.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Judiciary; Chamber of Sustainable Commerce; Marijuana Policy Project; Community Alliance on Prisons; Democratic Party of Hawaii; American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii; Hawaii Cannabis Industry Solutions; Opportunity Youth Action Hawaii; Japanese American Citizens League, Honolulu Chapter; Last Prisoner Project; Hawaii Innocence Project and Beyond Guilt Hawaii; and three individuals.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that a past criminal record can impose barriers to a person's progress and access to employment, housing, education, insurance, and other necessities of life. Your Committee also finds that a pilot project that is focused on the expungements of arrest records for low-level marijuana offenses could help eliminate the stigma attached to those records.

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 H.B. No. 1595, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair