STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3057

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2520

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 Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2520, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

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

(2) Require the Department of the Attorney General, in consultation with the Criminal Justice Research Institute, to submit ongoing annual reports to the Legislature.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Hawaii, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Maui, Honolulu Police Department, Kauaʻi Police Department, and two individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Hawaiʻi Friends of Restorative Justice.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Judiciary.

Your Committee finds that Act 213, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024, was enacted to establish an offense to target offenders who have proven to be a safety risk to the State's communities by accruing multiple misdemeanor convictions for unlawful physical violence. However, this offense will sunset in 2027. Your Committee further finds that experts recommend collecting at least five years of data to understand how a law works in practice, and therefore the sunset date of 2027 will likely be insufficient to allow for adequate data analysis. This measure will provide the Legislature with additional time and information to ensure the efficacy of the habitual violent crime offense.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the annual reports submitted by the Department of the Attorney General to the Legislature contain only aggregated information and no personally identifiable or confidential information; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2520, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2520, S.D. 2.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair