STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1391

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 11

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 11 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU TO STUDY CUSTODY EVALUATOR TRAINING MODELS APPLIED BY OTHER JURISDICTIONS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Legislative Reference Bureau to study custody evaluator training models that are applied in other jurisdictions.

     The National Association of Social Workers and two individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The Legislative Reference Bureau submitted comments.

     During the interim, the Committees on Human Services of the Senate and the House convened a task force to examine issues pertaining to the Hawaii Family Court.  Due to time constraints, the task force was unable to fully explore the issue of training and oversight of custody evaluators in both the Hawaii Family Court and in other jurisdictions.  Task force members are interested in how other jurisdictions address training and oversight of custody evaluators.  This measure will assist task force members in determining whether to recommend action to improve custody evaluation in the Hawaii Family Court.

     Your Committees note the suggestions raised by the National Association of Social Workers that the Legislative Reference Bureau also review training models, custody evaluator qualifications, oversight of the process of selecting custody evaluators, as well as the actual process of how custody evaluators are selected.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 11 and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________ CLAYTON HEE, Chair

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair