HB1383 establishes a five-year family resilience pilot program within the Hawaii Office of Wellness and Resilience. The program is designed to help families at risk of child welfare system involvement by providing trauma-informed peer support navigators, financial and resource assistance for basic needs, and a parenting intervention program focused on strengthening caregiver-child relationships and improving parenting skills.
The bill also requires the office to create a data and referral tracking system and an implementation and evaluation plan by December 31, 2025, and to report back to the Legislature on the program’s effectiveness and participation before the 2031 regular session. The pilot is set to end on June 30, 2030, and the bill appropriates general funds for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support program establishment and contracted services.
Impact
The bill would create a new state pilot program and direct general fund appropriations to the Office of Wellness and Resilience for prevention-oriented family support services. It does not amend existing child welfare statutes directly, but it would add a new state-administered intervention aimed at diverting families from child welfare involvement and would require compliance with applicable federal and state data and referral requirements. The measure would affect families at risk of child welfare system involvement, service providers, and the office responsible for implementation and evaluation.
Sentiment
The bill’s findings and structure suggest strong support for prevention-based child welfare reform and family support services. The legislative framing emphasizes unmet needs, the value of universal supports, and evidence from other states, indicating a generally favorable policy posture toward the pilot. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented opposition or amendment debate in the available materials.
Contention
The main policy questions implied by the bill are funding, program design, and implementation oversight. Potential points of contention include the use of general revenues for a new pilot, the effectiveness of peer navigators and parenting interventions, the scope of financial assistance, and how the data/referral system will protect privacy while meeting legal requirements. Because no hearing transcripts or votes are available, no specific legislators, agencies, or stakeholder groups are identified as opposing or supporting these issues in the record provided.
A resolution to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to only present to the Governor enrolled House bills finally passed by both houses of the One Hundred Third Legislature.
Relating to nonsubstantive additions to, revisions of, and corrections in enacted codes, to the nonsubstantive codification or disposition of various laws omitted from enacted codes, and to conforming codifications enacted by the 88th Legislature to other Acts of that legislature.