STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 146
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2023
RE: H.B. No. 579
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 579 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to require
the Department of the Attorney General to:
(1) Address the needs of victims of human trafficking by developing and implementing a statewide Human Trafficking Prevention Program; and
(2) Report to the Legislature on the State's efforts to address human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Pacific Survivor Center, Zonta Club of Hilo, Midwives Alliance of Hawaii, and three individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.
Your Committee finds
that many children in the State are vulnerable to sex trafficking and
commercial sexual exploitation. Your
Committee further finds that, because child sex trafficking is covert, it is
difficult to accurately measure the scope of the problem. Your Committee also finds that recent data
indicates that Native Hawaiian women and girls are disproportionately
represented among victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. The establishment of a statewide Human
Trafficking Prevention Program will allow the State to develop and utilize
comprehensive interagency case management strategies and protocols and provide
a multi-disciplinary response to the commercial sexual exploitation of children
and the broader issue of human trafficking in Hawaii.
Your Committee notes
the concerns raised by the Department of the Attorney General regarding the
short time frame to implement the Human Trafficking Prevent Program and lack of
necessary funding for implementation of the program.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Amending the preamble;
(2) Expanding the statewide strategies required to
be developed under the Human Trafficking Prevention Program to include
accountability for child enticement, commercial sexual exploitation, pimping,
and human trafficking;
(3) Including additional reporting requirements in
the Department of the Attorney General's reports to the Legislature related to reports
made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Child Tip
hotline; arrests, including arrests of active duty military or National Guard
personnel; recovery of previously recovered children; and number of adult sex
trafficking victims;
(4) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000,
to encourage further discussion; and
(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 579, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 579, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,
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____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair |
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