STAND. COM. REP. NO. 860

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1160
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which
was referred H.B. No. 1160, H.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT SECURITY APPEALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to allow the Employment Security
Appeals Referee Office to hold hearings in other counties besides
the county in which the appeal is filed.

     Testimony in support of this bill was received from the
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

     Your Committee finds that under current law, unemployment
appeals hearings must be held in the county in which the appeal
was filed, unless another location is consented to by the
parties.  This requirement results in delays which impede the
department's ability to meet federal standards for timely
appeals.  This measure would allow hearings officers to conduct
hearing by telephone in lieu of in-person hearings in the various
counties.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 1160, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass
Third Reading.


 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 860
                                 Page 2

 
                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary &
                                   Hawaiian Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   PAUL T. OSHIRO, Chair