Report Title:

Family Court; Kids First Program; Appropriation

Description:

Makes an appropriation for the expansion of the Kids First program in the judiciary to include co-parenting classes for litigants engaged in high-conflict divorce cases.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

552

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to family court.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. In the 2004 legislative session, the senate adopted Senate Resolution 40, which authorized the senate committee on human services to convene interim hearings on the Hawaii family court. Specifically, the hearings were designed to explore ways to make the Hawaii family court more accessible and family oriented. These interim hearings focused on important issues relating to reduction in caseload, limiting the long-term use of interventions such as temporary restraining orders and protective orders, ensuring greater accountability of court-appointed personnel such as custody evaluators and guardians ad litem, and examining ways to reduce needless expenditures of time and money in counterproductive litigation relating to child custody determinations.

During the course of these interim hearings, four task force groups were formed on four important issues relating to joint custody, temporary restraining orders and protective orders, standards for guardians ad litem and other court appointed personnel, and alternative dispute resolution. After countless hours of hard work and meetings, these four task force groups submitted findings and recommendations to the senate committee on human services, which adopted these recommendations.

One recommendation supported by many participants centered upon expanding the highly successful Kids First program in the judiciary to include co-parenting classes for families going through a high-conflict divorce. The Kids First program assists parents and children going through a divorce by providing important educational programs designed to ease the transition to a post-divorce family structure. These program help resolve conflicts among parents which share children as well as provide important emotional support for children during this difficult time.

The purpose of this Act is to expand the Kids First program to include co-parenting classes for litigants involved in high-conflict divorces.

SECTION 2. The judiciary shall expand its Kids First program to include co-parenting classes for litigants involved in high-conflict divorces. The judiciary shall establish guidelines for determining which litigants qualify for the classes.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006, for the purpose of expanding the Kids First program to include co-parenting classes for litigants involved in high-conflict divorce cases.

SECTION 4. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the judiciary for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005.

INTRODUCED BY:

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