Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2327 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify that the staff of a public or private school, agency, or institution immediately shall report known or suspected child abuse or neglect directly to the Department of Human Services or the police department, before notifying the person in charge of the institutions or a designated delegate.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the Department of Human Services, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that this measure will ensure that all suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect are reported to the Department of Human Services or police department for investigation, rather than first being subject to an internal investigation by the person in charge or a designated delegate, which can result in a delay during which the child can be subjected to continued abuse.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2327, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2327, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.