STAND. COM. REP. NO. 687
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2009
RE: H.B. No. 730
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Fifth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2009
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 730 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CRUELTY TO ANIMALS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to help prevent cruelty to animals by replacing the current statute regarding dog fighting with more comprehensive language and mandating a minimum thirty-day imprisonment term for a second or subsequent offense.
The Humane Society of the United States in Hawaii, Hawaiian Humane Society, and many concerned individuals supported this bill. The Public Defender's Office opposed this measure.
Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by, among other things:
(1) Amending, rather than replacing, the current statute to:
(A) Criminalize the transporting, possessing, breeding, selling, transferring, or equipping of any dog for prohibited fighting purposes as a class C felony;
(B) Make it a class C felony to allow a dogfight to occur, or to keep, board, house, train, or transport a dog intended for fighting on any property;
(C) Specify that paying admission to, or wagering on a dogfight, or possessing any device intended to enhance a dog's fighting ability is a misdemeanor; and
(D) Allow the legality of dog weight-pulling contests;
and
(2) Changing the effective date to January 1, 2046, to encourage further discussion.
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. 730, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 730, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,
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____________________________ JON RIKI KARAMATSU, Chair |
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