STAND. COM. REP. NO.  475

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 1244

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1244 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD VISITATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to further establish grandparents' visitation rights by:

(1)  Authorizing the court to award reasonable visitation rights to grandparents if the denial of reasonable visitation rights would cause significant harm to the child;

(2)  Establishing the presumption that a parent's decision regarding visitation is in the best interest of the child;

(3)  Allowing the presumption to be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence that denial of reasonable visitation rights would cause significant harm to the child; and

(4)  Authorizing the court to consider various factors in awarding visitation to grandparents.

Westside Service Provider Network supported this measure.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii commented on this measure.

     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 H.B. No. 1244 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

MELE CARROLL, Chair