HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

179

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING and GENERAL SERVICES to STUDY THE feasibility of ESTABLISHing A PUBLIC-PRIVATE CORRECTIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF PRISONS IN HAWAII.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, Hawaii's prison system was under federal court supervision from 1985 to 1999 due to overcrowding and inadequate safety and programs; and

 

     WHEREAS, the prison capacity within the State is insufficient to house all offenders committed to the Department of Public Safety; and

 

     WHEREAS, existing state prisons may have reached the limit of their useful life cycles, resulting in ever-increasing costs; and

 

     WHEREAS, it has been demonstrated that private companies can provide the necessary financial capital and expertise to both construct and operate prison facilities; and

 

     WHEREAS, a public-private partnership would allow state bonding capacity to be retained for other capital projects, such as schools and roads; and

 

     WHEREAS, new prisons would provide hundreds of jobs within the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, new prisons would allow the State's inmate population to be housed closer to their families and communities; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, that the Department of Public Safety and Department of Accounting and General Services are requested to study the feasibility of establishing a public-private correctional partnership for the construction and operation of prisons in Hawaii, to return all inmates who are incarcerated on the mainland, as well as to close inefficient and aging prison facilities within the State; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Public Safety and Department of Accounting and General Services are requested to identify specific locations that would be selected as sites for new prisons; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that prior to any site being designated as a potential location for a new prison, the Department of Public Safety and Department of Accounting and General Services are requested to hold at least one public hearing on the topic of siting a prison in the affected community; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Public Safety and Department of Accounting and General Services are requested to jointly produce a detailed report on estimated total construction costs, annual debt service costs, and annual operating costs for a new publicly financed and operated prison, to be used as a benchmark for comparison to a public-private project; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Public Safety and Department of Accounting and General Services are requested to jointly submit a report of their findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Director of Public Safety, and the Comptroller.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Public-Private Correctional Partnership for Construction and Operation of Prisons in Hawaii; Feasibility Study