Off the news: It’s down to the wire for torture statute

Time is growing extremely short to push state bills through successful passage — and that’s concerning for supporters of Senate Bill 281, which would raise the penalty for torture, a frighteningly recurrent form of child abuse in Hawaii.

The Legislature must approve SB 281, which classifies torture as a Class A felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and defines the crime so that perpetrators who inflict harms such as starvation, burning or shocking, physical restraint or imprisonment can be charged with torture as a separate crime from child abuse, or murder. Legislative action is “long overdue,” Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon K. Hao testified on behalf of first responders — and he’s right.