House and Senate conference committee negotiators agreed yesterday to raise
Hawaii's lowest in the nation age of consent from 14 to 16. The key
provisions of the bill, HB236 CD1, include:

· Prohibiting so-called consensual sexual relations between 14 and 15
year-old minors and adults who are at least 5 years older.

· 'Sunsetting' the new law in 2 years. This means the law will have to be
renewed during the 2003 legislative session.

· Creating a task force to study the effectiveness of the law. Hawaii
Family Forum is named as a task force participant.

CONERN - Governor Cayetano May Veto the Bill
The bill was less than technically perfect, which may provide additional
ammunition for the bill's opponents to obtain a veto from Governor Ben
Cayetano. The bill's opponents include: the Honolulu Prosecutor's office;
the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, the Office of the Public Defender; and many
so-called 'women's groups'.

The Governor has previously indicated that he has concerns about any
mandatory penalties associated with raising the age of consent. HB236
provides for harsh mandatory penalties for adults who sexually exploit
minors.

ACTION
· PLEASE PRAY THAT GOVERNOR CAYETANO WILL SIGN THIS LEGISLATION TO PROTECT
HAWAII'S MINORS FROM ADULT SEXUAL EXPLOITATION!

· PLEASE CONTACT THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AT 586-0034 AND POLITELY ENCOURAGE
HIM TO SUPPORT RAISING HAWAII'S AGE OF CONSENT
(HB 236)

Mahalo for your support! We could never have gotten this far without your
involvement!!!!