STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1573

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1567

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1567 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES EXCLUDED FROM COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND MAKING APPROPRIATIONS AND OTHER ADJUSTMENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for salary increases and other cost adjustments for officers and employees of the legislative service agencies who are excluded from collective bargaining.

     Your Committee received comments in support of this measure from the Office of the Ombudsman, the Legislative Reference Bureau, and the Office of the Auditor.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will enable employees in the legislative service agencies to receive salary increases that are at least comparable to those awarded to their civil service counterparts.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adding appropriations to fund the Hawaii employer-union health benefits trust fund costs.  Your Committee has also amended this measure by specifying a $1 appropriation for each of the agencies listed in the measure in order to facilitate further discussion of the matter.

     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 H.B. No. 1567, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1567, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair