STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1080

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 674

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 674, H.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD CARE PROVIDERS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Require all child care providers subject to regulation by the Department of Human Services to obtain and maintain liability insurance as a condition of licensure, temporary permission, or registration and disclose insurance-related information to certain parents or guardians;

 

     (2)  Authorize the Department to suspend or revoke a provider's license, temporary permit, or certificate of registration if the provider does not comply with the insurance coverage and disclosure requirements; and

 

     (3)  Prohibit the enforcement of the liability insurance requirements for child care providers by the Department until January 1, 2018.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Children's Action Network and fifty-two individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

 

     Your Committee finds that because many parents must work full time, child care is a necessity for many local families.  Through the Department of Human Services, the State regulates and inspects these child care facilities to ensure that all children are safe and healthy.  Requiring all licensed or registered child care providers to obtain and maintain liability insurance coverage may provide greater assurance to families who utilize child care services and allow opportunities for legal recourse for parents whose children are not properly cared for.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Delaying the compliance date of liability insurance requirements for child care providers to January 1, 2019; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 674, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 674, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair