Hawaii Gov. Dr. Josh Green has signed several bills focused on supporting domestic violence victims and helping residents deal with day-to-day living, including childcare costs, a statement from his office announced.
“The bills I have signed today will provide resources for those who have endured domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, as well as improve the overall health, well-being, and resilience of our people,” Green is quoted in the statement as saying. “Domestic violence and sexual assault are pervasive, life-threatening crimes that affect millions of lives across the country, without regard for their age, gender, economic status, race, religion or education level — each one of them needs protection and help.”
One of several domestic violence-related bills signed by the governor is Senate Bill 1267, which expands the jurisdictions where petitions for domestic abuse protective orders and temporary restraining orders may be filed, the release said.
“The importance of informed leadership cannot be overstated,” Nanci Kriedman, the CEO of the Domestic Violence Action Center, said in the release. “The problem of abuse is too big and haunting for us to look the other way. Everyone has a role to play in bringing safety to island families. Safe families are at the core of a healthy community.”
District 2 state Sen. Joy San Buenaventura, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, applauded the legislation. “With the passage of these bills and the resources provided in the 2023 state budget, we hope that there will no longer be any more preventable deaths due to domestic violence and child abuse,” she said. “With the Governor’s signing of today’s child welfare bills, we hope to address the failures that led to the abuse of children whom the state is supposed to protect.”
District 31 Rep. Linda Ichiyama, co-convener of the Women’s Legislative Caucus, said the signing of the eight bills represents a commitment to the safety and protection of individuals impacted by domestic violence or sexual assault. “The Women’s Legislative Caucus worked in close partnership with our House and Senate colleagues, the Green Administration, and community advocates to improve UH (University of Hawaii) campus safety, combat human trafficking, and enhance training requirements for child custody evaluators,” she said. “Collectively, these measures help ensure better support for survivors and their families.”
House Bill 579 establishes a statewide program to address human trafficking. The program will originate within the Department of the Attorney General to provide services and assistance to victims of human trafficking and victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children, the release said. House Bill 554 requires that the university provide mandatory annual trauma-informed, gender-inclusive, LGBTQ+-inclusive sexual misconduct prevention and awareness programming for university students and employees.
Senate Bill 295 “aims to reform the Child Welfare System by requiring the Department of Human Services to work with the community and various stakeholders to determine and address core structural and process failures within our system,” District 17 Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz said.
A list of all the bills is available in the statement from the governor's office.