H.B. 2473 Summary

• Transfer responsibility for vocational, educational, cultural, and other programming and services for offenders from the Department of Public Safety to the Judiciary, effective July 1, 2022.

• Transfer includes the comprehensive offender reentry system (chapter 353H), Hawaii correctional industries program (chapter 354D), gender-responsive community-based programs for female offenders (section 353-6.5), model gender-responsive programs for adult female offenders (chapter 367D), and workforce development reporting to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (section 202-10).

• Civil service employees transferred to the Judiciary retain their civil service status, salary, seniority, leave credits, and benefits; exempt employees retain exempt status without losing prior service credit or benefits.

• All appropriations, records, equipment, contracts, and property related to transferred functions move to the Judiciary; existing rules and service contracts remain in effect until amended or expired.

• Require the Judiciary to submit a report with findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation to the 2023 Legislature no later than twenty days before the regular session; appropriate unspecified general revenues to the Judiciary for fiscal year 2022-2023.