STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2432

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2792

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. 2792 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Repeal the limitation on criminal history record checks of household members who provide care for a child whose family receives child care subsidies from the Department of Human Services in a regulated child care setting;

(2) Clarify the release of investigation information to the public;

(3) Clarify a child care licensing program's duty to share information it receives, and cooperate with child protective services and law enforcement, when the program receives a report of death or injury of a child; and

(4) Clarify that the Department may take administrative action, judicial action, or both, to enforce child care licensing provisions and increase penalties by making them apply on a daily basis.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services and Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest.

Your Committee finds that child care providers play an important role in the safety and well-being of a child. However, recent events involving injuries and death have revealed the need for the Department of Human Services to enforce transparent measures for the safety of children in certain child care settings. This measure will ensure that necessary provisions are in place to protect the health, safety, and welfare of children and reassurance to their families.

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. 2792, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2792, 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