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. 3234 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a fee schedule for court-appointed fact finders to assist family court judges in determining child custody and visitation arrangements.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Three individuals also submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Judiciary took no position on this measure.

Your Committee finds that, based upon testimony from the Judiciary, rather than "fact finders," the term "custody evaluator" is a more appropriate term for the purpose of this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure to change references of "fact finders" to "custody evaluators."

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. 3234, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3234, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.