STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3083

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2308

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2308, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to improve the State's response to cases of commercial sexual exploitation of children and the provision of services to victims and their families.

More specifically, the measure:

(1) Establishes within the Department of Human Services a sexually exploited children statewide coordinator and program and a commercial sexual exploitation of children steering committee;

(2) Requires:

(A) The commercial sexual exploitation of children steering committee to provide a preliminary report and a final report; and

(B) The sexually exploited children program to provide annual reports,

to the Legislature;

(3) Establishes within each county a commercial sexual exploitation of children multidisciplinary team to facilitate the sharing of information and to immediately respond to cases of child sex trafficking; and

(4) Appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services for four full-time equivalent positions for the statewide coordinator and program support.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Judiciary, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Department of the Attorney General, Honolulu Police Department, Hawaii Psychological Association, IMUA Alliance, American Association of University Women of Hawaii, and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that the existing Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Steering Committee, which comprises members of state, county, and federal agencies, has been working to oversee a coordinated system response to child sex trafficking. Your Committee further finds that the formalized crisis response structure and centralized data collection process established by this measure will augment and expedite current efforts to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that, upon appointment, the statewide coordinator shall also serve as a member of the Hawaii Interagency State Youth Network of Care (HI-SYNC);

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(3) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2308, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2308, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair