Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 895 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow employees to utilize sick leave to care for designated family members who have a serious health condition.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the United Public Workers and the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Office of Collective Bargaining.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's workforce has changed dramatically over the years in that women now make up the majority of workers. This change has had a dramatic effect on the quality of family life, especially in situations involving the need for the care of sick children, spouses, or aging parents. Your Committee also finds that in the case of a serious or extended illness or health condition of a family member which requires assistance, an employee may have already exhausted the vacation leave necessary to provide assistance.

Therefore, your Committee determines that employees should be allowed to use their sick leave benefits to care for a seriously ill family member without the additional financial burden of unpaid leave.

In addition, your Committee has amended this measure to include a definition for the term "reciprocal beneficiary" for purposes of clarity, and to make technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of style.

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. 895, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 895, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.