STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1165

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   S.B. No. 112

      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 S.B. No. 112 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE CHILDREN'S JUSTICE PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to help protect child witnesses by requiring documents used or developed by the Children's Justice Program (Program) to be considered confidential and not subject to release except to Program staff and agencies and providers directly involved in cases, medical and mental health professionals under specified conditions, and the courts.

     The Judiciary supported this bill.  The Office of Information Practices provided comments.

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

     (1)  Specifying that the confidentiality of documents applies only to specifically identified cases or clients; and

     (2)  Specifying that documents comprising client interview guidelines, other interview-related material, and training material for forensic interviewers shall also be considered confidential.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 112, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 112, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair