Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 1318, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to entitle state and county employees to seven days of paid leave per year if they are bone marrow donors, and thirty days of paid leave if they are organ donors.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Transplant Association of Hawaii, the Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, and eighteen individuals. The Department of Human Resources Development submitted testimony in support of the intent of this measure, but also raised concerns with the measure as introduced. Comments on this measure were also submitted by the Department of Human Resources for the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committee finds that the number of individuals in need of organ and bone marrow transplants far outnumbers the number of available organs and living organ donors. Each day, approximately fifteen Americans will die while awaiting a transplant. Despite continuing medical and technological advances, more needs to be done to increase the supply of available organs.

Your Committee further finds that in 1999, the federal government enacted the Organ Donor Leave Act, which increased to thirty days of paid leave, annually, the amount of paid leave time that federal employees are permitted to utilize if they serve as organ donors. Your Committee supports and encourages individuals who choose to bravely and generously serve as organ and bone marrow donors throughout the State and wishes to provide its public employees with adequate leave time in order to serve in these capacities.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

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 H.B. No. 1318, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1318, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.