STAND. COM. REP. NO. 890

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1662

       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 Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 1662 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to amend the definitions of "closing", "covered establishment", and "employer". The measure also requires an employer to notify employees of divestiture within 60 days and imposes penalties for failure to notify employees of business closing.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the ILWU and the Hawaii State ALF-CIO.  Opposing testimony was received from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and the Society for Human Resource Management - Hawaii Chapter.

     The loss of a job means loss of income for the worker and the family.  It also affects the loss of purchasing power of goods and services in our community.  This domino effect hurts us all.  Your Committee has amended the bill with a defective date so further discussion may continue and made minor non-substantive changes recommended by the LRB.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1662, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1662, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair