Annual child death review reports to the legislature

(a) The director shall submit an annual written report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session on the status of child death reviews conducted by the department pursuant to this part. The annual report shall cover the calendar year immediately prior to the year in which the report is due and shall describe the total number of child deaths in Hawaii and the causes of those deaths, the number of deaths of children in state custody and the causes of those deaths, any child death review activities conducted by the department, trends in child deaths, and recommendations for system changes, including any proposed legislation. (b) Upon written request of the director, a state or county agency shall report deaths of children in the custody of the state or county agency to the department, including any information on the circumstances of the child's death deemed relevant by the director. (c) The director shall submit a copy of any other child death review report published by the department, including findings and recommendations resulting from such a review, to the legislature upon the report's publication.