STAND. COM. REP. NO. 429

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 807

       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 Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 807 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow an employee to use family leave during any calendar year to provide family care and support during the military deployment of the employee's child, spouse, or reciprocal beneficiary.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the Hawaii National Guard Association, the Hawaii National Guard Enlisted Association, the National Guard Association of Hawaii Insurance Trust, and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.  The Department of Human Resources Development submitted comments on this measure.

     Your Committee finds that it is important to address the hardships that military families often face when service members are deployed.  This measure allows employees to use family leave to address many of these important issues such as, family care, and legal and financial issues directly related to or resulting from the impending military deployment of the employee's child, spouse, reciprocal beneficiary, or parent to a hostile or hazardous combat and peacekeeping zone.

     Your Committee further finds that it is not only important that the employee provide the employer with a copy of the military orders verifying the military deployment, as is required in this measure, but it is equally important to verify that the family leave taken by the employee is taken in connection with addressing family care, legal, and financial issues that directly relate to or resulting from an impending military deployment.

     To this end, your Committee amended this measure by clarifying the definition of 'military deployment' and by adding a new definition illuminating the parameters of what constitutes family care.

     It is the intent of your Committee to allow an employee to use family leave during any calendar year to provide family care and support during the military deployment of the employee's child, spouse, or reciprocal beneficiary, and to ensure that the military deployment is verified and used appropriately in connection with family care as it is defined in this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 807, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 807, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair