Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1377, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to convert all positions and qualified employees of the Support Services Office, Program Development Staff, and the Nursing Home Without Walls Program of the Social Services Division of the Department of Human Services, from exempt status to civil service status.

Your Committee finds that the conversion of these particular positions and qualified employees from exempt status to civil service is not a matter of equity versus inequity. Rather, the conversion is necessitated by the community's need for the continuance of the services these departments provide. The community not only requires maintenance of these services, but also needs the least disruptive, uninterrupted continuation of the critical services provided by these departments. Because the current staff has already developed knowledge of the highly complex state and federal rules applicable to their departments, this civil service conversion is crucial.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1377, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.