Making an appropriation for Hawaii's Healthy Start program for continued service and support of high-risk families. (HD1)

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Hawaii's healthy start program began in July 1985 as a demonstration child abuse program that supported at-risk families with newborns through home visits. It is now a statewide program that identifies and assesses high-risk children at birth and monitors their growth and development with home visits through the age of three. By identifying high-risk families before abuse or neglect can begin and providing home visits and services, healthy start helps these families to steer clear from the risks of violence. Home visits by trained paraprofessionals help reduce the risk of child maltreatment and provide parents with information and access to programs that foster child health and development, positive parenting skills, and problem-solving techniques. In addition, healthy start provides parents with links to medical care, job training, housing applications, crisis intervention, and other support.

Parents enrolled in healthy start also enjoy more positive parent-child interactions, have a more positive attitude toward their children, and demonstrate better nonviolent discipline. The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to the healthy start program so that it may continue to assist high-risk families and prevent further incidences of child abuse and neglect.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, for Hawaii's healthy start program to continue to serve and support high-risk families.

SECTION 3. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2020.