STAND. COM. REP. NO. 766

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 952

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 952, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD WELFARE SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require and appropriate moneys for the Office of Wellness and Resilience to design, implement, and administer a five-year Child Welfare System Diversion and Intervention pilot program to support families and children involved, at risk of involvement, or at risk of reinvolvement with child welfare services.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of Wellness and Resilience in the Office of the Governor, Department of Human Services, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and three individuals.

Your Committee finds that the pilot program required and funded by this measure will help prevent child abuse and neglect by providing resources, financial assistance, peer support, cultural programming, parental skill-building, and other assistance to at-risk families.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the pilot program should be designed by the Department of Human Services in collaboration with the Office of Wellness and Resilience and implemented and administered by the Department; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive edits 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. 952, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 952, S.D. 2.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair