STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1418-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.R. No. 125

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.R. No. 125 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO RECONSIDER ITS REORGANIZATION PLAN FOR THE ISLAND OF HAWAII TO ELIMINATE ITS CHILD WELFARE SERVICES OFFICES IN KAU, KAMUELA, AND CAPTAIN COOK,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to urge the Department of Human Services (DHS) to reconsider its realignment of Child Welfare Services (CWS) facilities on the Island of Hawaii in lieu of community accessibility concerns and possible impact on the overall deployment and effectiveness of CWS facilities.

The Department of Human Services opposed this measure. The Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO, and several Child Welfare Services staff members testifying in a non-official capacity as concerned citizens supported this measure.

Your Committee recognizes that timely, accessible, and qualitatively effective services to the community are essential to the mission success of both the Department of Human Services and Child Welfare Services, and also recognizes that community input should always be considered as a matter of sound public policy and democratic principle.

In light of the need for community input and your Committee's highest traditions of responsible governance and sensitivity to democratic principle, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making substantive changes to clarify that the Department of Human Services (DHS) is strongly urged to temporarily delay realignment of its Child Welfare Services (CWS) facilities on the Island of Hawaii for the purpose of convening a public forum for community input;

(2) Changing the title to:

"STRONGLY URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO TEMPORARILY DELAY REALIGNMENT OF ITS CHILD WELFARE SERVICES OFFICES ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII TO ALLOW FOR THE CONVENING OF A PUBLIC, COMMUNITY FORUM TO DISCUSS REALIGNMENT IMPLICATIONS AND POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE CONTINUUM OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT PREVENTION, FAMILY SUPPORT, FAMILY STRENGTHENING AND VOLUNTARY CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN."

(3) Making other minor, non-substantive, technical amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

Your Committee wishes to assert for the purposes of clarification that it is not the intention of the Standing Committee on Human Services to direct the Department of Human Services (DHS) to indefinitely delay realignment of Child Welfare Services (CWS) facilities on the Island of Hawaii, but rather to urge a temporary pause for the purposes of involved, community discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 125, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 125, H.D. 1.

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

		____________________________ ALEX M. SONSON, Chair