STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3301

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2088

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2088 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ADOPTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to add the requirement that a written consent to adoption be notarized in child welfare adoption proceedings.

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

Your Committee finds that child welfare adoptions, which typically involve children in foster custody whose families have been the subject of child protective proceedings, do not require parental consent when parental rights have been judicially terminated or when consent is dispensed with by order of the court. In cases where consent is required, notarization of adoption consents strengthens the integrity of the adoption proceedings by confirming that the appropriate parties knowingly and voluntarily provided consent. This measure reduces the risk of disputes regarding consent and legal challenges that could otherwise disrupt permanency for children in adoption proceedings by requiring notarization of adoption consents.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2088, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair