STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3726

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2425

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2425, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CENTRAL REGISTRY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Clarify that a confirmed report of child abuse or neglect, harm, or threatened harm will result in the perpetrator's name being maintained in the central registry; and

(2) Clarify when a person's name may be expunged from the central registry and establish a process for expungement upon request.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that protecting the State's keiki is of paramount importance. Presently, the central registry of individuals confirmed to be perpetrators of child abuse or neglect protects the community from certain dangerous individuals. However, inclusion in the central registry can have serious consequences, including limited employment or volunteer opportunities. Despite the severity of inclusion on the central registry, the processes of inclusion or removal are not widely known. Accordingly, this measure protects keiki statewide, ensures Department of Human Services' efficiency, and clarifies the process of being placed on or having one's name removed from the central registry.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2425, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2425, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

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KARL RHOADS, Chair