STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1374

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 57

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.R. No. 57 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND JUDICIARY TO INCORPORATE RESEARCH AND STRATEGIES REGARDING ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES INTO THEIR WORK WITH CHILDREN SUFFERING FROM TRAUMA,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Encourage the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of the Attorney General, and Judiciary to incorporate research and strategies regarding adverse childhood experiences into their work with children suffering from trauma; and

     (2)  Request that each of these agencies submit a report on the status of its plans to incorporate research and strategies regarding adverse childhood experiences into its work with children suffering from trauma to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2018.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, IMUAlliance, Stop Abuse Campaign, National Family Advocacy Team, and six individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Health.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from one individual.

     Your Committees find that adverse childhood experiences are defined as abuse, neglect, and other traumatic or disruptive events that occur during childhood, causing serious damage to a child's developing brain.  Adverse childhood experiences affect a person's social skills over the course of a lifetime and can also cause serious mental- and physical-health problems.  More public awareness and information are needed to properly identify adverse childhood experiences, and recognition of the effects of adverse childhood experiences is essential for appropriate treatment and care.  Encouraging various government entities to incorporate research and strategies regarding adverse childhood experiences will help combat the effects of adverse childhood experiences by providing proper support to children, families, organizations, systems, and communities.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that the Department of the Attorney General, rather than all of the respective agencies, is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018 on behalf of all the agencies on the status of each agency's plans to incorporate research and strategies regarding adverse childhood experiences into each agency's work with children suffering from trauma; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 57, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 57, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Judiciary and Labor,

_________________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair

________________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair