STAND. COM. REP. NO. 130-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2234

H.D. 1

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 H.B. No. 2234 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require and appropriate funds for the Judiciary to establish a Civil Legal Services Pilot Program to provide free civil legal services for certain persons who have been sentenced to probation.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the State Procurement Office.

Your Committee finds that legal services can be prohibitively expensive for low- and moderate-income persons. Your Committee further finds that there are several nonprofit and volunteer legal service organizations in the State, such as Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaii, that provide quality legal services to these persons. This measure helps to ensure that legal services are available to persons who are sentenced to probation and need assistance.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Judiciary to contract with unspecified nonprofit legal organizations in accordance with the Hawaii Public Procurement Code;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to ascertain the amount of funding needed by the Judiciary to establish the Civil Legal Services Pilot Program.

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 H.B. No. 2234, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2234, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair