CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 23

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 1173

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1173, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to bring Hawaii into compliance with federal regulations governing income withholding for child support enforcement by:

(1) Imposing a fine against an employer who fails to withhold support payments from an employee's income or pay amounts to the Child Support Enforcement Agency;

(2) Amending the penalty for an employer who discriminates against an employee because of the existence of a child support income withholding order by imposing a fine instead of a misdemeanor contempt of court charge; and

(3) Increasing the threshold amount for an annual fee imposed by the Child Support Enforcement Agency for collection and distribution of child support payments.

Your Committee on Conference finds that compliance with federal requirements is necessary to maintain eligibility for federal funding of child support enforcement programs. In addition, your Committee on Conference finds that amending the income withholding requirements increases the effectiveness of the income withholding process and protects the obligor parent from employment discrimination if the obligor parent has an income withholding order issued against them.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2019.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1173, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1173, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA Co-Chair	____________________________ KARL RHOADS Chair
____________________________ CHRIS LEE Co-Chair
____________________________ NADINE K. NAKAMURA Co-Chair