Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1110 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to add child abuse record checks as a requirement for licensed child care providers and staff, and require the Department of Human Services (DHS) to disclose verified criminal history and child abuse information on employees to their employers.

Your Committee received testimony in favor of this measure from DHS, the Attorney General, and one individual, and received testimony in opposition from the Honolulu Police Department.

Your Committee finds that adults who have criminal histories involving violent or self-destructive behavior should not be caring for children. Child abuse record checks for persons working in licensed child care facilities are required only under administrative rule. This measure strengthens the child abuse record check requirements by providing statutory authority for the checks, and thereby helping to ensure the health and safety of children in child care settings.

However, your Committee recognizes that this measure will increase the number of criminal checks being performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and an adjustment would have to be made to ensure that the criminal history record improvement revolving fund does not get exceeded due to these additional criminal checks. Thus, your Committee has amended this measure by increasing the appropriations ceiling to $53,000 for the criminal history record improvement revolving fund.

For purposes of consistency, your Committee has also amended the measure by renumbering sections 7 and 8 to sections 8 and 9 respectively.

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. 1110, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1110, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.