CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 171

                            Honolulu, Hawaii
                                            , 1999

                            RE:   H.B. No. 274
                                  H.D. 3
                                  S.D. 2
                                  C.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the
House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate
in H.B. No. 274, H.D. 3, S.D. 2, entitled:

    "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILIES,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to
recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final
passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to improve Hawaii's child
protective system by:

     (1) Mandating training for foster parents of licensed foster
         homes and guardians ad litem;

     (2) Providing for protective custody of a child without a
         court order;

     (3) Requiring reporting of child abuse and neglect to police
         and the prosecuting attorney;


 
 
                            CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 171
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     (4) Establishing new provisions for permanent place hearings
         for children residing outside the family home for
         extended periods of time;

     (5) Establishing a medical case management procedure for
         medical oversight of children in the child protective
         services system; and

     (6) Appropriating funds for fiscal year 1999-2000 and fiscal
         year 2000-2001 for foster parent training.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1) Deleting the requirement that the Department of Human
         Services (DHS) develop a medical and health case
         management procedure of managing medical and health
         needs of children in the foster care system;

     (2) Requiring DHS to establish a procedure governing the
         timely enrollment of foster children into an appropriate
         health insurance program;

     (3) Requiring that new special licensed or relative foster
         home care providers complete foster parent training
         within the first year following placement of the first
         child into the new special licensed or relative foster
         home;

     (4) Removing the requirement that DHS inform the Office of
         the Prosecuting Attorney of all child abuse and neglect
         reports received by DHS;

     (5) Providing that the name of the person who reports a case
         of child abuse may be released to the police department
         or the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney with the
         person's consent;

     (6) Deleting the requirement that all guardians ad litem
         successfully complete training;

     (7) Deleting additional provisions relating to proceedings
         for permanent plan hearings for children residing
         outside the family home for extended periods of time;

     (8) Deleting appropriations for fiscal year 1999-2000 and
         fiscal year 2000-2001 for foster parent training; and

     (9) Making technical, nonsubstantive revisions for purposes
         of style and clarity.

 
                            CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 171
                            Page 3




     Your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent
and purpose of H.B. No. 274, H.D. 3, S.D. 2, as amended herein,
and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 274, H.D. 3, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted,

MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE        MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE
           SENATE                              HOUSE
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Co-Chair     DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Co-Chair
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
AVERY CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair           ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Co-Chair
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
MATT MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair           SCOTT K. SAIKI, Co-Chair
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair             MARILYN B. LEE, Member
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
WHITNEY ANDERSON, Member           PAUL WHALEN, Member