STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1336

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2021

 

RE:   S.B. No. 1187

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Corrections, Military, & Veterans, to which was referred S.B. No. 1187, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Make an emergency appropriation to the Department of Public Safety to provide the State's correctional institutions and the Health Care Division with sufficient funds to cover the cost of personnel to provide continuous operations and response to the COVID‑19 pandemic; and

 

     (2)  Appropriate funds to establish nine permanent full-time equivalent positions for the Department of Public Safety's intake service centers.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety.

 

Your Committee finds that the Department of Public Safety projected a shortfall in funding for fiscal year 2020-2021 for the Halawa, Kulani, and Waiawa Correctional Facilities, and the Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and Women's Community Correctional Centers.  According to the Department, because it is severely short staffed, it has incurred substantial overtime charges and has consequently shut down programs.  Your Committee also finds that the Department's staffing for its Health Care Division has been critically reduced.

 

Your Committee further finds that the appropriation for nine permanent full-time equivalent positions for the Department of Public Safety's intake service centers are for fiscal years 2021‑2022 and 2022-2023, and appear to fall outside the scope of the title of this measure, which is limited to emergency appropriations.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting the appropriation for the positions for the Department's intake service centers and making conforming revisions; and

 

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

 

     Your Committee requests that your Committee on Finance consider, in an appropriate vehicle, an appropriation of $502,476 for fiscal year 2021-2022 and the same sum for fiscal year 2022‑2023 for the Department of Public Safety to establish nine permanent full-time equivalent positions for intake service centers (PSD 410) to meet legislative objectives for the pretrial reform initiatives established pursuant to Act 179, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Corrections, Military, & Veterans that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1187, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1187, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Corrections, Military, & Veterans,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

TAKASHI OHNO, Chair