STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2290

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2161

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 2161 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WITNESSES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Increase the amount of per diem stipends for out-of-state witnesses in criminal cases from $110 to $145 per day; and

 

     (2)  Increase the per diem stipends by an additional $90 per day for witnesses who must travel to another island to attend court, when that witness is required to stay overnight.

 

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by three county agencies.  Written testimony presented to your Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committee finds that the current amount of per diem stipends may create a hardship on witnesses who must testify in our state courts, because the current stipends are simply inadequate to cover basic expenses in many cases.  Requiring witnesses to pay out of their own pockets for hotel and food costs acts as a disincentive for witnesses to travel to appear in court.  Your Committee also notes that the total aggregate increase in cost to the State will only be approximately $3,000 per year.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050 to facilitate discussion by the Committee on Ways and Means; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2161, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2161, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations,

 

		____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair