Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.C.R. No. 127, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final adoption of this concurrent resolution in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Human Resources Development to delay the implementation of the elimination of the social worker series.

Your Committee on Conference finds that a serious shortage of social workers exists throughout the State, which has and will continue to result in the denial of the provision of social services or the provision of social services by lesser qualified individuals. This shortage of social workers within the State is largely attributable to an overall lack of interest in social work, as well as low pay scales for social workers, particularly for government social workers. In 2003, the Department of Human Resources Development conducted a study on the occupation of social work in an effort to address the issues of the proper classification of civil service positions, the increasing demand for human services, the finite number of social workers within the State, and a lack of alternative occupational options to meet the current demand. As a result of that study, the Department of Human Resources Development determined that the social worker series of positions should be eliminated and replaced with reclassified positions entitled human services professionals, child protective specialists, adult protective specialists, clinical social workers, or parole officers, effective May 1, 2004.

However, your Committee on Conference is concerned that the Department of Human Resources Development conducted its study without the benefit of input from the Hawaii Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers or the Schools of Social Work of the University of Hawaii, Brigham Young University at Hawaii, and Hawaii Pacific University. Therefore, your Committee on Conference believes that the reclassification should be delayed to allow the reclassification plan and its ramifications to be reviewed and analyzed by all of the interested parties.

Upon further consideration, your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 127, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. 127, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.