STAND. COM. REP. NO. 112

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1367
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Housing, to
which was referred H.B. No. 1367 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE PROTECTION
     OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide a broad continuum or
services for the prevention of child abuse.  Specifically, this
bill appropriates funds to:

     (1)  Establish one and one-half positions with the
          Department of Health to assure continuous
          implementation of the child death review teams;
     
     (2)  Establish three deputy attorney general positions for
          the Family Law Division;

     (3)  Establish a one-half time physician position for
          ongoing consultation and forensic review of cases to
          prevent further child abuse and neglect;

     (4)  Fill eleven vacant public health nursing positions;

     (5)  Increase funding for hospital-based risk screening
          services for "at-risk" families;


 
 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 112
                                 Page 2

 
     (6)  Increase funding for substance abuse treatment services
          to assist pregnant women, mothers, and their families,
          who are involved in the child protective services
          system.

     (7)  Establish additional facilities to deliver diversion
          services and child protective services;

     (8)  Increase the availability and strengthen the quality of
          family foster care and adoptive services; and

     (9)  Broaden the scope of psychosocial support services
          available to families.

     The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Neighborhood Place
of Kona, Blueprint for Change, HFSC Healthy Start, and Hawaii
Family Support Center submitted testimony in support of this
bill.  The Departments of Human Services and Health testified in
support of the bill, provided that it does not replace or
adversely impact the priorities established in the Executive
Budget.

     Your Committees find that child abuse is a complex problem
with many causes.  To act upon the Legislature's commitment to
the prevention of child abuse, your Committees further find that
successful strategies of prevention will require addressing a
wide range of needs.

     Your Committees have amended this bill by substituting the
appropriated amounts with $1 for the purpose of further
discussion. 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Health and Human Services and Housing that are
attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1367, as amended herein, and
recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto
as H.B. No. 1367, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on
Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Health and Human
                                   Services and Housing,



_____________________________      _______________________________
DENNIS ARAKAKI, Chair              ALEXANDER SANTIAGO, Chair