Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1373 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide leave benefits for permanent, full-time, legislative employees by establishing a new part in chapter 78, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), that sets forth a variety of leave benefits, including vacation, sick leave, family leave, judicial leave, and military leave.

The Department of Human Resources Development offered comments.

Permanent, full-time, legislative employees are exempt from the civil-service provisions of chapter 76, HRS, as well as from the collective bargaining provisions of chapter 89, HRS. Moreover, they are not considered "excluded employees" under the definitions in section 89C-1.5, HRS, because their employers are not included as an "appropriate authority". As a result, the existing leave benefits do not apply to these legislative employees. This bill seeks to resolve this omission.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor and Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1373 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.