STAND. COM. REP. NO.717-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2150

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2150, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of Human Services (DHS) to review every report of suspected child abuse or neglect submitted to DHS to determine whether the case should be referred to a physician for a medical opinion on whether child abuse or neglect has occurred.

The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) testified in support of this measure.

DHS opposed this measure.

Your Committees find that HPD sometimes encounters situations where doctors from different medical facilities have conflicting opinions in suspected child abuse cases. Your Committees believe that there should be a group of qualified child abuse pediatricians conducting these assessments.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Replacing its contents with those of H.B. No. 1869, H.D. 1, which your Committee heard earlier and which DHS prefers; and

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

As amended, this bill:

(1) Requires medical consultation services in child abuse or neglect cases;

(2) Requires that DHS determine whether a face-to-face medical examination by a child abuse pediatrician is necessary for cases transmitted to Child Protective Services (CPS); and

(3) Appropriates funds for a qualified medical facility to provide direct medical consultation to CPS for reported child abuse or neglect cases.

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 S.B. No. 2150, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2150, S.D. 2, 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,

 

____________________________

MICHAEL P. KAHIKINA, Chair

____________________________

DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair