HI SR38

Requests the Department of the Attorney General to establish a working group to study forensic laboratories in Hawaii, with the Honolulu Police Department operating the state's only full-service forensic laboratory.

Working group must include representatives from the FBI, Department of Public Safety, Judiciary, county police departments and prosecutors, Public Defender, criminal defense attorneys, Hawaii State Bar Association, ACLU, state legislators, and a forensic science professor from Chaminade University.

Working group must study capabilities, staffing levels, caseloads, task completion times, and accreditation requirements of forensic laboratories in the state.

Working group must analyze annual forensic test volumes, funding sources, costs for out-of-state testing, expert witness travel expenses, and DNA testing funding for convicted felons.

Working group must submit an interim report by twenty days before the 2018 legislative session and a final report by twenty days before the 2019 legislative session, including findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation.