Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2526 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require state and county agencies having contracts, programs, and services affecting the parental preference law, to report annually to the legislature on the effect of implementation of that law.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Parents and Children Together, Hawaii Coalition for Dads, and Institute for Family Enrichment.

Section 577-7.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), relating to eliminating parental preferences in government contracts, programs, and services was enacted by Act 301, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 2001, and became effective July 1, 2002. Because of the importance of maintaining the integrity of a functional family in child-rearing, your Committees believe that the legislature should be informed of the progress in implementing Act 301, SLH. Your Committees realize that the mandates of the law could be difficult to implement in the short term, but should be feasible in the long term over a period of time for an internal administrative system to evolve. Furthermore, the law itself is necessarily based on a somewhat subjective interpretation of the impact of a government contract, program, or service on child-rearing.

Your Committees find that the reporting requirement contained in this measure is the best means of evaluating Act 301, SLH 2001. It is not the intent of your Committees to impose needless administrative reporting requirements on government agencies. Your Committees request that all affected agencies comply with the reporting requirements with a view to promote family integration through proper child-rearing as affected by government contracts, programs, and services.

Your Committees have amended this measure by adding the judiciary to section 577-7.5, HRS, and requiring the judiciary to also report on implementation.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2526, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2526, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.