STAND. COM. REP. NO. 390

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 309

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Health and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 309 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH EXAMINATIONS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish nine permanent full-time equivalent forensic psychologist positions and one permanent full-time equivalent manager position within the courts and corrections branch of the Department of Health for timely and proper administration of court ordered examinations.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Judiciary, Department of Public Safety, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Hawaii Psychological Association, and two individuals.

 

     Your Committees find that specialty training and expertise are required for the proper administration of a court ordered mental health examination.  Where court ordered examinations involve forensic analysis, post-doctoral or commensurate experience and appropriate training become crucial factors in the quality of mental health reports and administration of justice.

 

     Your Committees note that currently 1.5 full-time equivalent forensic psychologist positions are not filled and that it is critical to provide resources in this area.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Blanking out the number of positions within the courts and corrections branch of the Department of Health to be established; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 309, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 309, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Judiciary and Labor,

 

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair

 

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair