HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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HAWAII SILVER LEGISLATURE, 2005

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STATE OF HAWAII

H.B. NO.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TASK FORCE TO DETERMINE

VISITATION RIGHTS FOR GRANDPARENTS AND HANAI INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE

INFORMALLY RAISING THESE CHILDREN.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE SILVER LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The Hawaii Silver Legislature finds that in

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Hawaii, there are approximately 14,000 grandparents and hanai

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individuals who are raising grandchildren, that is, grandparents

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and hanai individuals who are parenting for a second time

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because the child’s biological parents are unable to do so due

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to circumstances such as incarceration, substance abuse,

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divorce, death, or deployment. Many grandparents and hanai

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individuals raise these children informally without having

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Family Court or the Department of Human Service’s Child

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Protective Services intervene. When the child is subsequently

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returned to their biological parent, the parent often prevents

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the grandparent and hanai individual from any visitation

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privileges.

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Grandparents and hanai individuals have no legal mechanism

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to visit the child that they raised when the biological parents

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were unable or unwilling to do so, and therefore, the purpose of

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this Act is to establish a task force to determine visitation

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rights, if any, for grandparents and hanai individuals who are

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informally raising these children.

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SECTION 2. There is established during the 2006

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Legislative Interim a Joint Legislative Task Force to determine

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visitation rights, if any, for grandparents and hanai

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individuals who are informally raising these children. The Task

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Force shall submit their recommendations and any proposed

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legislation twenty days prior to the convening of the 2007

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Regular Session.

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SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

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