STAND. COM. REP. NO. 942-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1608

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 Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1608, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for four deputy public defender positions within the Office of the Public Defender and require that one of the positions be assigned to the family court section.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of the Public Defender.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the full-time equivalent positions to an unspecified number; and

(2) 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 Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1608, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1608, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair