Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 537 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to maintain the effectiveness of detecting child abuse or neglect by appropriating funds to the Kapiolani Child At-Risk Evaluation program (CARE) to ensure the continuation of this program which protects the children of Hawaii through:

(1) Medical forensic detection; and

The American Academy of Pediatrics, CARE, the Hawaii Family Support Institute, Good Beginnings Alliance, Hawaii Foster Parent Association, and concerned individuals supported this bill. The Department of Human Services and a concerned individual opposed the passage of this bill.

Your Committees find that protecting our children is one of the most important issues government can focus on. The CARE program uses special forensic methods to detect and verify abuses that only a highly-trained medical professional would be able to provide. This is an important tool, not only for confirming child abuse, but also for ruling it out so that invalid claims will not be held against caregivers. Your Committees find that this program is very important and have amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the appropriated amount for each fiscal year to

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 537, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 537, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.