STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1193

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1784

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1784, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CRIME,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to create the offense of human trafficking whereby a person knowingly subjects or attempts to subject a person to labor or services through threats, extortion or various other means.  This measure also establishes human trafficking as a violent crime and a crime subject to forfeiture provisions, and includes it as an activity that may constitute organized crime or racketeering activity.

 

     The Department of the Attorney General, Crime Victim Compensation Commission, Honolulu Police Department, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the County of Maui, Hawaii Family Forum, Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii, and Na Loio supported this bill.  The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu, Safe Zone Foundation, Girl Fest Hawaii and Equality Now supported this measure with amendments.  The Office of the Public Defender did not support this bill.

 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

(1)  Clarifying the types of acts constituting the offense of human trafficking;

(2)  Defining "debt bondage" and "restraint";

 

(3)  Specifying the classes of felonies for the various acts of human trafficking;

 

(4)  Deleting the amendments made to the offense of unlawful imprisonment in the first degree;

 

(5)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2112; and

 

(6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     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 H.B. No. 1784, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1784, H.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

TOMMY WATERS, Chair