Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1362 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow all mental health divisions of the Department of Health to implement procedures and policies on obtaining verifiable information regarding the criminal history of potential employees and contract providers.

Testimony supporting this measure was received from the Department of Health and the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that current law allows investigation into criminal histories of potential employees and contract providers who have contact with clients of the child and adolescent mental health division. This type of information has proven to be very helpful in ensuring the safety of clients as well as improving the quality of care provided. Therefore, your Committee finds that the adult mental health division should have the same opportunity to provide a safer working environment and high quality services.

Furthermore, your Committee recognizes that the Hawaii criminal justice data center (HCJDC), which is administered by the Department of the Attorney General, will require additional resources to implement the provisions of this measure. The Department of the Attorney General indicated in its testimony that an increase in the appropriation ceiling of the criminal history record improvement revolving fund is necessary. Therefore, your Committee has amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1362, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1362, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.