STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2431

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2850
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.B. No. 2850 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO KINSHIP CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow the Department of
Human Services (DHS) to adopt rules relating to kinship care.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the DHS and Attorney General

     This measure also defines kinship care as the placement of
the child with an adult relative who provides care and
maintenance to the child apart from the child's parents or
guardians on a 24-hour basis.  This measure is intended to
address a common situation in Hawaii, where a child could live
with a grandparent, or aunt or uncle, rather than with the
child's parent or guardian.  Your Committee believes that there
should be requirements as to kinship care, but that it is best
addressed in administrative rules of the DHS to provide for the
the safety and well-being of the child.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Authorizing the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center to
          disseminate criminal history record information to the
          DHS for the purposes of this measure;


 
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     (2)  Requiring persons seeking kinship care to:

          (A)  Submit sworn statements concerning conviction of
               any crimes;

          (B)  Provide consent to the DHS to conduct a criminal
               history record check; and

          (C)  Be fingerprinted;

     (3)  Requiring the DHS to obtain criminal history record
          information through the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data
          Center;

     (4)  Clarifying the grounds for denial by the DHS of a
          request to provide kinship care; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes to reflect
          preferred drafting style, clarity, and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 2850, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2850,
S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health and Human
                                   Services,



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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