STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3076

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2520

       H.D. 3

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 2520, H.D. 3, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAREGIVERS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to amend the temporary disability insurance law to permit an eligible employee to collect up to four weeks of temporary disability insurance benefit payments to care for a family member with a qualifying disability.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Representative Marilyn Lee, the Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, the Hawaii Aging Advocates Coalition, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers, Local 996, ILWU Local 142, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Kokua Council, and one private citizen.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, 3 Point Restoration Hawaii, Inc., Alakai Mechanical Corporation, Building Industry Association Hawaii, Delta Construction Corporation, the General Contractors Association of Hawaii, Grace Pacific Corporation, GP Roadway Solutions, GPRM Prestress LLC, the Hawaii Bankers Association, Hawaii Electric Light Company, Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, Hawaiian Electric Company, Healy Tibbitts Builders, Inc., Hidano Construction, Inc., Jayar Construction, Inc., King & Neel, Inc., Kokea Construction and Consultants, Inc., Klopfenstein's Lighting Inc., Lindemann Construction Inc., Marsh USA, Master Sheet Metal, Inc., Maui Electric Company, Maui Paving LLC, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Office Pavilion, Pacific Rim Partners, LLC, Projects Plus Inc., Ralph S. Inouye Co., Ltd., Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Royal Contracting Co., Ltd., S & M Sakamoto, Inc., S & S Taylan Inc., Society for Human Resource Management Hawaii Chapter, and Title Guaranty Escrow Services, Inc.

     Your Committees find that while it is a worthwhile endeavor to promote measures to allow the elderly to age at home, and thus support the many family caregivers who make this possible, it is clear from the testimony received on this measure that more time must be committed to exploring alternative means of providing financial support for family caregivers in Hawaii that could potentially include a Temporary Disability Insurance component, but could also include income tax credits, unemployment insurance benefits, and other potential mechanisms. 

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Replacing its contents with that of S.B. 2044, S.D. 1, which creates a working group to address issues concerning support of family caregivers; and

     (2)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2520, H.D. 3, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2520, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair