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Committee approves measure allowing information charging in offenses for promoting sexual conduct with minors
Summary
The committee voted to pass HB 994 unamended to allow charging by written information for offenses related to promoting sexual conduct for minors, which prosecutors said will streamline cases that involve officer-only stings and reserve grand-jury resources for cases with live victims.
The Senate Committee on Judiciary voted to pass House Bill 994 without amendment to permit information charging for the offense of promoting sexual conduct for minors.
Deputy Attorney General Mark Tom (standing in for Deputy AG Albert Cook) testified the department strongly supports HB 994 HD1, which enhances enforcement of Act 244 from last year by allowing defendants in certain cases to be charged by written information instead of grand-jury indictment.
Daniel Hugo of the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office said information charging is especially useful for stings where the only witnesses are law-enforcement officers, allowing grand-jury resources to be reserved for cases involving actual victims. The committee adopted the recommendation to pass the bill unamended.
