CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 72

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2013

RE:    H.B. No. 1137

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1137, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY COURT,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to clarify the qualifications for court-appointed child custody evaluators and enhance protections for parties affected by a child custody evaluator's determinations, including:

     (1)  Specifying the types of licensed individuals who may serve as court-appointed child custody evaluators and setting forth the circumstances under which unlicensed individuals may be appointed;

     (2)  Requiring the judiciary to maintain an accessible registry of qualified child custody evaluators; and

     (3)  Establishing procedures allowing for complaints regarding court-appointed child custody evaluators.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by changing its effective date to upon approval.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1137, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1137, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair	____________________________ MELE CARROLL, Co-Chair
____________________________ CLAYTON HEE, Co-Chair	____________________________ KARL RHOADS, Co-Chair
____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Co-Chair	____________________________ BERTRAND KOBAYASHI, Co-Chair