STAND. COM. REP. NO. 901-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2078

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2078 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HABITUAL VIOLENT CRIME,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Attorney General, in consultation with the Criminal Justice Research Institute, to submit ongoing annual reports to the Legislature on the effectiveness of Act 213, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024 (Act 213), in addressing repeat violent crime; and

(2) Amend Act 213, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024, by requiring the Criminal Justice Research Institute to submit a one-time report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2031 and repealing its sunset date.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Attorney General; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu; Honolulu Police Department; and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Criminal Justice Research Institute; Community Alliance on Prisons; and ACLU Hawaiʻi.

Your Committee finds that Act 213 was enacted to deter habitual violent crime while balancing public safety concerns with the potential impacts of increased incarceration. Your Committee further finds that extending rather than repealing the sunset date and requiring ongoing annual reporting and a comprehensive, long-term analysis will allow the Legislature to evaluate the law's effectiveness using sufficient data, ensure continued oversight, and support evidence-based decisions regarding laws addressing repeat violent offenders.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Extending the sunset date of Act 213 to June 30, 2031, rather than repealing it; 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 Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2078, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2078, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair