Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 964 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Department of Human Services to provide treatment services for child victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse, including psychological treatment and case management services for child victims and their families.

Your Committee finds that child sexual abuse, if left untreated, has severe, long-term effects on victims and their families. However, your Committee finds that child victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse who are not within the State's Family Court system are currently unable to access appropriate treatment services through the Department of Human Services. This measure addresses this gap by extending the benefit of treatment services to these child victims and their families.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the sum appropriated to a blank amount in order to facilitate further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 964, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 964, S.D. 1.