STAND. COM. REP. NO. 701

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 826

 

 

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. 826 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to give employees and officers with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of the Attorney General the same authority as police officers to be required to report child abuse cases and allowed to take a child victim into protective custody.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Human Services.

This measure enables officers and employees with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of the Attorney General to report child abuse cases as well as take a child victim into protective custody. Presently, law enforcement officers and employees with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of the Attorney General are not specifically named as a reporting entity in statute and thus lack the authority to take a child victim of abuse into protective custody. Your Committee finds that this measure would address these shortcomings as well as increase the number of law enforcement personnel able to respond and report child abuse cases.

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. 826 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair