STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1459

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

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




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B.
No. 274, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

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

     Specifically, this bill:

     (1)  Mandates training for foster parents of licensed foster
          homes;

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

     (3)  Requires reporting of child abuse and neglect; and

     (4)  Establishes a medical case management procedure for
          medical oversight of children in the child protective
          services system.

     Your Committee finds that implementing these actions will
improve children's well-being in the State.  The medical and
health case management is necessary as children in foster care

 
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often are moved from doctor to doctor, and in the past have been
deprived of consistent follow-up to ensure that their health
needs are met.  Foster parents training will assist foster
parents in providing effective foster care.  Allowing a police
officer to assume protective custody of a child without a court
order will provide children with emergency protection in
situations where it is not feasible to first obtain a court
order.

     The bill also requires guardians ad litem to receive
training or be determined to have equivalent experience by the
senior family court judge, and requires children who have been
residing outside the family home for an extended length of time
to have a show cause or permanent plan hearing set.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by correcting a
discrepancy between the text of the bill and the printed version
of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, and by making other technical
nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarification.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
274, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it
pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 274,
H.D. 3, S.D. 2.

                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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