STAND. COM. REP. NO. 502

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 552

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 552 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY COURT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the expansion of the Kids First program in the Judiciary in order to provide co-parenting classes for individuals involved in a high-conflict divorce.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Children's Rights Council of Hawaii and three individuals. Testimony in opposition to the measure was submitted by the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii. The Judiciary, Domestic Violence Clearinghouse and Legal Hotline, and the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence offered comments.

Your Committee finds that the Kids First Program is an important educational program for couples going through a high conflict divorce. This program helps address and resolve important emotional, psychological, and mental issues that are present in both adults and children as they make the transition to a post-divorce family structure and setting. In order to implement this program, the Judiciary will develop and implement guidelines for determining or classifying "high-conflict" divorce cases for eligibility purposes as well as ensure that where allegations of domestic abuse are involved or raised, these divorcing parents are not required to attend co-parenting classes together.

Your Committee has amended this measure by permitting the Family Court to assess or apportion the costs of these co-parenting classes to individuals who have the financial resources to pay for these classes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 552, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 552, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair