STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3033

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2375

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2375 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOCIAL WORK,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require and appropriate moneys for the Department of Public Safety and Department of Human Services to establish a program to train certain nonviolent incarcerated individuals in the field of social work.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Community Alliance on Prisons, Hawaii Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and two individuals.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services, Department of Budget and Finance, and Department of Public Safety.

Your Committee finds that the program required and funded by this measure will help address the State's shortage of licensed social workers, provide education and employment opportunities for nonviolent incarcerated persons, and potentially reduce the risk of recidivism for program participants.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Providing that eligible participants in the program may include all nonviolent incarcerated individuals, rather than nonviolent misdemeanants and petty misdemeanants only, as suggested in written comments from the Community Alliance on Prisons;

(2) Clarifying that participants should be trained to explore a professional pathway in the practice of social work, as suggested in written comments from the Hawaii Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(4) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2375, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2375, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair