Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2788 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow parties involved in an unemployment appeal to file directly with the Employment Security Appeals Referee's Office (ESARO).

Testimony in support of the measure was received from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the ILWU Local 142.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, a claimant or other party entitled to appeal a determination or redetermination of an unemployment claim may only file an appeal of the determination or redetermination at the office of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations in which the claimant resides or was last employed. The measure would provide a claimant or other affected party with the additional option of filing the appeal directly to ESARO. Since ESARO is charged with the responsibility of hearing the appeals, the direct filing of appeals should be allowed.

Your Committee believes that the measure will enhance ESARO's efficiency in scheduling appeals hearings, resulting in speedier adjudication of unemployment claims appeals.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2788 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.