STAND. COM. REP. NO. 376

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1164

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1164 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILDREN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish guiding principles for foster children.

     The Hawaii Foster Youth Coalition, the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii, and twenty-one individuals, many of which are former foster youth, submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Human Services submitted testimony in support of the intent of this measure. 

     Your Committee finds that establishing guiding principles for foster children is an appropriate step towards ensuring that foster children receive fair and equal treatment while in care.  The measure also establishes a level of accountability to the foster children by the individuals and agencies that are responsible for their care.

     It is the Committee's intent to ensure that foster children are treated with dignity while in foster care.  Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Department of Human Services to provide a child with a copy of the guiding principles when the child is placed in foster care;

     (2)  Permitting the Family Court to issue any necessary orders, as it deems appropriate or on motion of the guardian ad litem, to the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health, in addition to the Department of Education, to ensure that the guiding principles are upheld; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1164, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1164, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

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

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair