STAND. COM. REP. NO.  225

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1691

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1691 entitled:     

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to modify the provisions of the Hawaii Family Leave Act by providing the employee, and not the employer, with the option of substituting accrued paid leave, such as vacation, personal, or paid family leave, for any part of the four-week period allowed for family leave.  Currently, family leave may consist of paid leave, unpaid leave, or a combination of paid and unpaid leave.

     The Hawaii State Teachers Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1357, The International Association of Machinist Union, International Association of Machinist and Aero Space Workers, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Hawaii Family Forum, Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii, and an individual testified in support of this bill.  The Retail Merchants of Hawaii and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii opposed this measure.  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations offered comments.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1691 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________

ALEX M. SONSON, Chair