STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2486

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2749

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2749 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD SUPPORT GUIDELINES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to align provisions in the Hawaii Revised Statutes relating to child support guidelines to be in compliance with federal regulations.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Judiciary.

Your Committee finds that the federal final rule amendments to guidelines for child support payments require states to implement such amendments in their child support guidelines. Your Committee further finds that child support amounts established based on guidelines that consider specific factors relating to the parents' situation are more reliable, result in less conflict between the parents, and improve the collection of child support payments. This measure provides more opportunity for the public to be involved in the review of child support guidelines, access to information on how the review was conducted, and overall access to the guidelines.

Your Committee notes that if this measure is not enacted, the state plan that is administered by the Child Support Enforcement Agency may not be approved and federal funding provided to the Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Department of Human Services may be at risk.

Your Committee further recognizes the Judiciary's and Department of the Attorney General's concerns about the collection and analyzing of child support payment data, lack of funding to perform additional functions, and the potential for the Judiciary to be called as a witness if required to collect and track child support payments, or to be precluded from deciding case involving allegations of child support payments. Your Committee requests that your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means further examine those issues and concerns should they decide to hear this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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. 2749, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2749, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair