Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 3035 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish that only the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations is authorized to decide whether to terminate the temporary total disability benefits of an employee who has not actually returned to work.

Your Committee finds that corrective action is warranted to prevent the disruption of temporary total disability benefits by employers in workers' compensation cases. Such disruption is counterproductive and imposes a serious impediment to the cost-effective treatment and recovery of injured employees.

Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying the stated purpose of the bill and by making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

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. 3035, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3035, S.D. 1.