Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2041, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify the definition of "serious abuse" in the child protective review panel law.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Human Services, Blueprint for Change, and Volunteer Legal Services.

This measure clarifies that a child is presumed to have suffered serious abuse, if a child subjected to prior abuse is missing.

Your Committee finds that if a previously abused child is now missing, the presumption is that the child has suffered serious abuse. In that case, the child protective review panel could proceed to review the case and make findings and recommendations to the Director of Human Services. Your Committee finds that without the benefit of this statutory presumption, an investigation by child abuse professionals may not occur.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2041, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.