STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1473

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.R. No. 214

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.R. No. 214 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TO DEVELOP, AND FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO IMPLEMENT A POLICY AGAINST TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this resolution is to help teens recognize and prevent teen dating violence and abuse by requesting the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (HSCADV) to develop, and the Department of Education (DOE) to implement, a policy against teen dating violence and abuse.

     HSCADV, the Domestic Violence Action Center, and the Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center supported this resolution.  Catholic Charities Hawaii provided comments.

     Your Committee emphasizes that education is one of the primary components in the prevention of teen dating violence and abuse.  It is important to help teens recognize the difference between love and abuse, particularly in situations where abuse within the home normalizes such behavior. 

     Your Committee encourages the Department of Education to create public-private partnerships to provide annual training sessions on dating violence for all school staff.

     Additionally, your Committee notes that each school should be given the flexibility to apply any policy developed in a manner that best suits the school's population and community context. 

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this resolution by:

     (1)  Amending the title to read, "REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP A POLICY AGAINST TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE";

     (2)  Requesting the Department of Human Services to establish a task force, comprised of interested stakeholders, to develop a comprehensive policy to address teen dating violence and abuse;

     (3)  Removing the request that HSCADV develop a model dating violence policy by January 1, 2009, for transmittal to the Board of Education (BOE) for approval and adoption;

     (4)  Removing the request that BOE create public-private partnerships to provide annual training sessions on dating violence for all school staff; and

     (5)  Removing the request that Hawaii public schools consider incorporating age-appropriate dating violence education into any health curriculum framework for certain grades.

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 214, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Education in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 214, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair