STAND. COM. REP. NO.  412-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 3133

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services & Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 3133 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MANDATORY REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to protect children by requiring family members who have knowledge that child abuse or neglect is occurring or that a child has been harmed due to abuse or neglect to report the matter to the police or the Department of Human Services (DHS).

     DHS testified in support of this bill.

     Testifiers raised a concern that in some cases, family members that are mandated to report matters under this measure may also be victims of domestic violence and they may be risking endangerment to themselves by reporting child abuse or neglect.  Your Committee respectfully requests the Committee on Judiciary to examine this issue further.

     Accordingly, for purposes of discussion, your Committee has amended this bill by exempting victims of domestic violence from the reporting requirements.

          Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments were made for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 3133, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 3133, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

MAILE SHIMABUKURO, Chair