STAND. COM. REP. NO. 187

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 245

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.B. No. 245 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEXUAL ABUSE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to provide treatment services for child victims of sexual abuse, including psychological treatment and case management services for child victims and their families.

     The Judiciary submitted testimony in support of the intent of this measure.  The Attorney General, the Department of Human Services, the City and County of Honolulu Police Department, Child & Family Service, The Sex Abuse Treatment Center, Friends of the Children's Justice Center of Maui, Catholic Charities Hawaii, and six individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure.

     Your Committees find that child sexual abuse cases are often the most difficult cases to manage and the victims often have the most difficult time accessing services and treatment.  Victims and supportive family members who receive appropriate support are better able to cooperate with the criminal justice system, which enables the system to prosecute these cases more effectively and efficiently.  In addition, child sexual abuse is a crime that frequently results in serious long-term mental health problems for victims and their families.  Providing treatment services for the victims and their families is crucial to ameliorating the mental health problems.

     Your Committees understand that the Judiciary has a balance of unspent funds in the amount of approximately $4,000,000 for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, and that as this savings is attributed to a large amount of vacant positions, it is likely that this savings will be realized in the 2007-2008 fiscal year, as well.

     Therefore, your Committees urge the Committee on Ways and Means, by budget proviso, to utilize $416,000 of existing Judiciary budget funds to support the appropriation request of $208,000 for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum for fiscal year 2008-2009.

     It is the Committees' intent that the provisoed funds be used to provide treatment services for child victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse and sexually reactive children who are not covered under the child protective services system of the Department of Human Services, including psychological treatment and case management services.

     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 are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 245 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and 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