CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 105-08

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2008

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2055

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Madam and Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2055, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY COURT,"

 

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

 

     The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to establish policies and procedures for child custody evaluators, and administer certification procedures. 

 

     This measure also establishes licensing requirements and minimal education and experience requirements and requires continuing training for child custody evaluators.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Modifying its contents to amend Hawaii Revised Statutes section 571-46(4) to define court-appointed investigators or professional personnel attached to or assisting the court in its child custody determinations as "child custody evaluators", and require the Judiciary to define the requirements, standards of practice, ethics, policies, and procedures required of court-appointed child custody evaluators in the performance of their duties;

 

     (2)  Adding a section that requires the Judiciary to submit a report to the Legislature by no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009, relating its findings, recommendations, and resource requirements to implement certain aspects of child custody evaluator appointment, standards enforcement, monitoring, and administrative appeal process;

 

     (3)  Adding a section that calls upon the Judiciary to convene and obtain assistance from a child custody advisory task force to include representatives from listed organizations to define the employment requirements and standards of child custody evaluators;

 

     (4)  Changing its effective date to "upon approval"; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2055, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2055, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

 

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

 

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

 

____________________________

MAILE SHIMABUKURO, Co-Chair

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

____________________________

BLAKE K. OSHIRO, Co-Chair

 

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Co-Chair