Report Title:

Appropriation; Office of the Ombudsman

Description:

Expands the jurisdiction of the office of the ombudsman to include the judiciary in complaints regarding child‑related matters, except for judges; appropriates funds.  (SD1)

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	1645
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to children.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  Section 96-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§96-1  Definitions.  [(a)]  For purposes of this chapter:

"Administrative act" includes any action, omission, decision, recommendation, practice, or procedure, but does not include the preparation or presentation of legislation.

     "Agency" includes any permanent governmental entity, department, organization, or institution, and any officer, employee, or member thereof acting or purporting to act in the exercise of the officer's, employee's, or member's official duties, except:

     (1)  Judges in child‑related matters;

(2)  The judiciary and its staff[;] in matters that are not child‑related matters;

    [(2)] (3)  The legislature, its committees, and its staff;

    [(3)] (4)  An entity of the federal government;

    [(4)] (5)  A multistate governmental entity;

    [(5)] (6)  The governor and the governor's personal staff;

    [(6)] (7)  The lieutenant governor and the lieutenant governor's personal staff;

    [(7)] (8)  The mayors of the various counties; and

    [(8)] (9)  The councils of the various counties.

     [(b)  "Administrative act" includes any action, omission, decision, recommendation, practice, or procedure, but does not include the preparation or presentation of legislation.]

"Child‑related matters" includes juvenile delinquency, status offenses, child abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, adoption, child guardianships, juvenile detention, child support, paternity, child custody, and domestic abuse if there is a child in the household."

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the expansion of the ombudsman's responsibilities pursuant to section 1 of this Act.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the ombudsman for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that section 2 of this Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.