STAND. COM. REP. NO. 303

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1226

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1226 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) Expand the application of required criminal history record checks to adult relatives who provide care for a child whose family receives a child care subsidy from the Department of Human Services;

(2) Clarify the role and response of the child care licensing program when it receives a report of death or injury of a child in a child care setting;

(3) Address the release of information pending an investigation; and

(4) Increase penalties and clarify that the Department of Human Services may take both administrative and judicial action to enforce child care licensing requirements.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest.

Your Committee finds that access to safe, affordable, and nurturing child care is critical for Hawaii's children and working parents. Your Committee further finds that existing law does not require adult relatives of a child whose family receives a child subsidy from the Department of Human Services to complete a criminal history record check. This measure makes criminal history record checks a requirement for potential child care providers and increases the penalties for people who engage in illegal child care. This measure will prevent the injury or neglect of children, provide children with safer care, and deter people from engaging in illegal child care.

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. 1226, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1226, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Judiciary.

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

________________________________

RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair