HILO — A state House-Senate conference committee on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that will establish a five-year pilot program to fund four more full-time Child Welfare Services case workers in East Hawaii.
The measure, introduced by Rep. Chris Todd, D-Hilo, with Reps. Joy San Buenaventura, D-Puna, and Mark Nakashima, D-Hamakua, also signing on, will provide $320,000 annually to fund salaries and benefits for the four positions, Todd said. It also will require the state Department of Human Services to report to the Legislature within 20 days of the beginning of next year’s session.
“We need to get updates on the caseload per social worker and total cases. And then, we can act appropriately next session,” Todd said. “We’ve heard from the East Hawaii guys at the Child Welfare Services branch that they feel confident they can fill these positions.”
Todd, who has three foster brothers who’ll soon graduate from college, added he’s “99 percent” certain the bill will be signed into law by Gov. David Ige.
The legislation notes the East Hawaii Child Welfare Services section “is responsible for the welfare of endangered children in a vast geographic area that extends from Honokaa to Ocean View,” including Hilo, Puna and much of Hamakua and Kau.
“This is an area approximately the size of all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined,” it states.