STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1338-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   S.B. No. 2977

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2977, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to bring the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) into compliance with federal law and improve CSEA actions.  Specifically, this bill:

     (1)  Clarifies, in accordance with federal law, the requirements for notice to custodial parents of state income tax refund setoffs;

     (2)  Creates another assistant administrator position within CSEA to develop and implement comprehensive planning and policy;

     (3)  Allows CSEA, on its own behalf, to request a hearing, instead of having to wait for one of the parties to make a request;

     (4)  Allows CSEA to sign proposed administrative orders when no request for a hearing is received by CSEA; and

     (5)  Transfers two personnel employed by the Family Support Division of the County of Kauai to the Department of the Attorney General (AG).

     The AG supported this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date to January 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2977, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2977, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

____________________________

TOMMY WATERS, Chair