STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2798

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2435

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2435, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO QUALIFIED COMMUNITY REHABILITATION PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide an exemption from civil service for positions or contracts for personal services with qualified community rehabilitation programs lasting no more than one year.

     The measure also raises the personnel or contract cost limitation placed on this exemption from $750,000 to $1,000,000.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Resources Development.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

     Your Committee finds that contracting opportunities with qualified community rehabilitation programs provide much needed employment opportunities for Hawaii's under employed or unemployed segment and enable workers with disabilities to become contributing members of the community.

     Your Committee also finds that raising the personnel or contract cost limitation from $750,000 to $1,000,000 would allow these programs to provide more employment opportunities and keep abreast with inflation.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to:

     (1)  Restrict the exempted positions to custodial and ground maintenance; and

     (2)  Change the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussions.

     Your Committee notes that the United Public Workers continue to have concerns with this measure because it may impact them.

     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. 2435, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2435, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair