STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2703

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2446

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2446, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to increase the number of associate judges on the Intermediate Court of Appeals from six to seven.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Judiciary and Office of the Public Defender.

Your Committee finds that the Intermediate Court of Appeals has made progress at reducing the number of open cases but still faces a significant backlog. Providing the Intermediate Court of Appeals with an additional associate judge will expedite case handling and help ensure the timely administration of justice.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

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 S.B. No. 2446, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2446, S.D. 2.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair