STAND

STAND. COM. REP. 940

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 881

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 881, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD ABUSE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to enhance the protection of abused and neglected children by:

(1) Requiring public safety officers, sheriffs, and deputy sheriffs to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect; and

(2) Authorizing public safety officers, sheriffs, and deputy sheriffs to take protective custody of victims in such cases.

The Department of Human Services, Department of Public Safety, and an individual submitted testimony in support of this bill.

Your Committee finds that, currently, public safety officers, sheriffs, and deputy sheriffs do not have the authority to take an abused or neglected child into protective custody and are not required to report cases of abuse and neglect. This bill will expand the protection afforded to children who are being abused or neglected.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Deleting the requirement that police officers must witness abuse or neglect in the course of duty to assume protective custody of a child without a court order;

(2) Changing the effective date to March 1, 2004; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of style and clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 881, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 881, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs.

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

		____________________________ MICHAEL PUAMAMO KAHIKINA, Chair