Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Labor, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 130 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish an awards program to recognize businesses with parent-friendly policies.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Good Beginnings Alliance; Hawaii Coalition for Dads; Parents and Children Together; and the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii. Two students offered comments on this measure.

Your Committees find that workers in the United States have the longest annual average hours of work in the industrialized world. At the same time, the number of workers with children under six and single fathers raising children are increasing dramatically. Not surprisingly, a 2001 Families and Work Institute study found that employees who felt they did not have sufficient flexibility in their work time to manage personal and family responsibilities were the most stressed and unhappy.

Your Committees find that many parents – fathers as well as mothers – find it increasingly difficult to balance their roles as provider and nurturing parent. In today's difficult economic climate, parents are often hesitant to ask for leave from work to attend a parent-teacher conference or other important events in their child's life, fearing that such actions may be seen as "unprofessional" and adversely impact their employer's formal or informal evaluation of their competence. Yet, numerous studies show that parent-friendly policies make bottom line sense.

Your Committees find that parent-friendly policies help create a work environment that is supportive of parental responsibilities while recognizing business needs. Businesses with parent-friendly policies have discovered that employees are more committed and productive, with lower absenteeism and reduced turnover, which can result in significant cost savings in human resources recruitment and training expenses, promote competitiveness, and increase the profitability of the company. Your Committees further find that, by strengthening parent-friendly policies, Hawaii's business leaders strengthen the quality of their employees, now and in the future, and increase the competitiveness and profitability of their business.

Your Committees believe that it is important for the State to take the lead in encouraging parent-friendly workplace policies by establishing an awards program to recognize businesses with parent-friendly policies. Your Committees further find that such a program would demonstrate the State's commitment to supporting parents, critical partners in achieving the State's goal that "all of Hawaii's children will be safe, healthy, and ready to succeed." Students agreed that a legislative awards program would have a significant positive impact.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 130, as amended herein, recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 130, S.D. 1.