STAND. COM. REP. NO. 461

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 170
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.B. No. 170 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE NEEDS AND
     RIGHTS OF CHILDREN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation for
the Na Keiki Law Center.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Office of Community Services, Child and Family Service,
Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, Hawaii Lawyers Care, Hawaii
Women Lawyers, Catholic Charities, Na Loio, and a private
citizen.

     Your Committee finds that the economic and social well-being
of a society is directly reflected by the state of its children,
and by all indicators, Hawaii's children are not doing well in
terms of child abuse and neglect and not having health insurance.
The legal needs of our children need to be addressed to help them
receive the services and care to which they are entitled and for
which they need to become contributing and healthy adult members
of our community.

     The Na Keiki Law Center is a project of a non-profit entity
and plans to form a private-public partnership of legal
representation and advocacy for children.  Private foundation
moneys and public funds will be combined in a joint effort to

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 461
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sponsor a new initiative for increased recognition of the rights
of children.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting a
reference to Hawaii Lawyers Care and by changing "grant-in-aid"
to "fund" in reference to the funds received by the Na Keiki Law
Center.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 170, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 170,
S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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