STAND. COM. REP. NO.  421-18

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2018

 

RE:   H.B. No. 163

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health & Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 163 entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to clarify the procedures through which grandparents may be given reasonable visitation rights to their grandchildren by amending standards for the court to use in awarding visitation rights to grandparents.

 

Specifically, this measure:

 

     (1)  Deletes duplicative provisions of awarding grandparents reasonable visitation rights; and

 

     (2)  Adds as a prerequisite to awarding visitation that the court finds that awarding custody to a grandparent is in the best interest of the child and that denial of reasonable grandparent visitation rights would cause significant harm to the child.

 

     One concerned individual supported this measure.  

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 163, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 163, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair