STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2954

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2343

       H.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2343, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to align state law with changes to the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant, P.L. 113-186, including by requiring the Department of Human Services to:  conduct background checks, including sex offender registry checks, on household members and all employees of child care facilities and providers that are licensed or registered by or receive subsidies from the State.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services.

     Your Committees find that this measure is necessary to align state law with P.L. 113-186, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, enacted on November 19, 2014, which made significant changes to the Child Care and Development Block Grant requirements to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of children served under the grant.

     Your Committees further find that Child Care Connection Hawai‘i is a child care subsidy program that is federally funded through child care and development fund monies.  Hawaii's federal fiscal year 2015 block grant allocation totaled $20,950,922.  Failure to pass this measure would jeopardize the block grant award if the Department does not have the statutory authority to implement the requirements required by P.L. 113-186.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2343, H.D. 2, and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

________________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair