STAND. COM. REP. NO.  976-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2964

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2964, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT SECURITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to support workforce and economic development by allocating Reed Act fund monies out of the Unemployment Trust Fund to:

     (1)  The four county workforce investment boards to improve employer outreach and services, labor force pool expansion, and capacity building, and to fund some shared costs for the operations of the one-stop career centers within each county; and

     (2)  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) to be used by the Workforce Development Council to fund positions to identify additional funds and resources to support statewide workforce and economic development activities.

     The Workforce Development Council of DLIR, County of Hawaii, Office of Housing and Community Development of the County of Hawaii, Office of Economic Development of the County of Kauai, Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council, Kauai Workforce Investment Board, Kanoelehua Industrial Area Association, Inc., Hawaii Island Workforce & Economic Development Ohana, and many concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2964, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair