STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1748

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.C.R. No. 188

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services & Housing, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 188 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU TO STUDY OTHER STATES' ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND COMPARE THEM TO HAWAII'S ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to compare the adult protective services of other states to Hawaii's adult protective services.

     Specifically, this resolution requests the Legislative Reference Bureau to:

     (1)  Examine the other states' adult protective services laws and their implementation in the respective states;

     (2)  Obtain information regarding the total number of cases reported to the adult protective services of each state and the ratio of cases per capita for each state;

     (3)  Discuss the typical case load for case workers in each state; and

     (4)  Discuss the consequences of any expansion of services or changes to adult protective services laws in the various states, including whether the total number of cases increased or decreased and the resulting case load for case workers.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this concurrent resolution from the National Association of Social Workers.  The Legislative Reference Bureau offered comments.

     Your Committee finds that including a request to discuss in the study the changes in adult protective services laws in other states and whether those changes increased or decreased case loads would not only be time-consuming but also ultimately impossible.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this concurrent resolution by:

(1)  Deleting the request to discuss:

(A)  Changes in other states' laws in the study of adult protective services; and

(B)  The typical case load for case workers in each state; and

(2)  Adding two other items of information, in addition to the total number of cases reported to the adult protective services of each state and the ratio of cases per capita for each state, for the Legislative Reference Bureau to obtain, as follows:

(A)  What changes to Hawaii's adult protective services law would need to be made to make the applicability of Hawaii's law more comparable to those in other states; and

(B)  The estimated increase or decrease in the number of cases that would be reported in Hawaii as a result of the change those changes.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services & Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 188, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Legislative Management in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 188, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

MAILE SHIMABUKURO, Chair