Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2041 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to expand the:

Your Committee heard testimony in favor of the measure from the Department of Human Services, Volunteer Legal Services, and four private individuals.

Your Committee finds it unclear whether or not the Child Protective Review Panel has succeeded in reducing the recurrence of abuse within families. In light of this ambiguity, it is necessary to expand the public’s oversight over the panel. However, since the current statute already provides the Department of Human Services with the authority to appoint members of the panel in addition to those specifically enumerated by statute, your Committee urges the Department of Human Services to appoint new members who are active in systemic reform of the child protective system.

Your Committee further finds that a statutory presumption that abused children who are missing have suffered serious abuse would help to reduce the recurrence of abuse within families as such cases will be subject to the review of the Child Protective Review Panel.

Your Committee has amended the measure by deleting the provision that would have added two members active in systematic reform of the child protective system to the Child Protective Review Panel.

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. 2041, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2041, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.