STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1373-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2090

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness, to which was referred S.B. No. 2090 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD CUSTODY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow licensed mental health counselors to be appointed as child custody evaluators in the State.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the State faces significant challenges in providing timely and equitable child custody evaluations for families engaged in Family Court proceedings. Your Committee further finds that there is a high demand for child custody evaluations across the State, resulting in backlogs and extended wait times that delay critical decisions impacting children's health, safety, and well-being.

Your Committee also finds that licensed mental health counselors possess equivalent graduate-level education, training, and clinical expertise as their peers who are already eligible to serve as child custody evaluators. Your Committee believes that allowing licensed mental health counselors to be appointed as child custody evaluators in the State would reduce costs, alleviate delays, and ensure families have greater access to timely and equitable child custody determinations.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2090, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2090, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

LISA MARTEN, Chair