Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1773, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to prohibit the Department of Human Resources Development (Department) from eliminating the social worker class.

Specifically, this bill requires the Department, on or before June 30, 2006, to develop a plan for the implementation of separate classifications of a social worker class and a human services professional class. Previously, on May 1, 2004, the Department had eliminated the class known as social worker in all of its classifications and replaced it with the social worker/human services professional class.

This bill re-establishes the social worker class separate from the human services professional class. Furthermore, this bill restores employees transferred from the social worker class and transfers those hired subsequent to the elimination of the social worker class into the appropriate separate classes. The Department is required to report to the Legislature prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007 with the implementation plan for the two separate classes. If the Legislature accepts the plan, the plan will become effective on July 1, 2007.

In addition, this bill specifically prohibits the Department from eliminating or abolishing, by reason of attrition or any other reason, except by direct act of the Legislature, the social worker class, or replacing it with any other class throughout all jurisdictions of the civil service, except for social worker positions reclassified within the parole officer series.

Your Committee believes that the previous reclassification divested social workers with advanced degrees in social work of their well-earned titles by also allowing individuals without such degrees to be referred to as social workers under the new "social worker/human services professional class." Your Committee recognizes the unique services provided by social workers and their specialized education and training and determines that their status should be restored. The class should also be upgraded by transitioning currently exempt state social workers into licensed social workers. Your Committee finds that the Department should develop and implement a new plan for the reclassification of social worker/human services professionals into two separate classes while restoring the social worker class.

Your Committee has made several technical amendments for the purposes of style and clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1773, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1773, S.D. 2.