STAND. COM. REP. NO. 976

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     S.B. No. 187

        S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 187, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISTRICT COURT JUDGES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to increase the number of district court judges in the State.

 

     Specifically, the measure:

 

     (1)  Adds a fifteenth district court judge to the First Circuit;

 

     (2)  Adds a fourth district court judge to the Second Circuit; and

 

     (3)  Appropriates $170,000 for fiscal year 2019-2020 and $330,000 for fiscal year 2020-2021 for each of the aforementioned additional judgeships.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Judiciary; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, County of Maui; Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; and Maui County Bar Association.

 

     Your Committee finds that due to congestion of court cases in the District Courts of the First and Second Circuits, there have been significant delays in the resolution of cases, as well as a reduction in the amount of time available to judges to consider matters before them.  Your Committee believes that this measure will help reduce this congestion.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the appropriations to $96,636 for fiscal year 2019-2020 and $193,272 for fiscal year 2020-2021 for each of the additional judgeships;

 

     (2)  Clarifying that each appropriation is for one full-time equivalent (1.00 FTE) judgeship; and

 

     (3)  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. 187, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 187, S.D. 2.

 

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair