Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2327, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require staff members of public or private schools, agencies, or institutions who, in their professional capacity, have reason to believe that child abuse or neglect has occurred, or that there exists a substantial risk that child may be abused or neglected in the foreseeable future, to immediately report the abuse or neglect to the Department of Human Services.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Services. The Department of Education provided comments.

Your Committee finds that to ensure the timely reporting of child abuse and neglect, staff members of public or private schools, agencies, or institutions should be required to report suspicions of abuse and neglect directly to the Department of Human Services. The current practice, of having these staff members report only to a person-in-charge or designated delegate, leads to delay of an investigation of these suspicions, during which the child may be subjected to further abuse.

Your Committee has amended this measure to make technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2327, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2327, S.D. 2.