CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 107-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2008

RE:    S.B. No. 2876

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2876, H.D. 2, entitled:

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

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to support workforce and economic development by allocating Reed Act moneys out of the Unemployment Trust Fund to the Hawaii County Workforce Investment Board, and the One-Stop Career Center.

     Your Committee on Conference notes that Maui County has suffered enormous unemployment stemming from the closure of Molokai Ranch, which was not factored into this measure.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure:

     (1)  By adding an appropriation of $1,508,487 to the Maui County Workforce Investment Board, which shall work in collaboration with the County of Maui, particularly with regards to the unemployment stemming from the Molokai Ranch closing.  Your Committee on Conference notes that this is the same sum as appropriated by Act 123, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, to Maui;

     (2)  By adding an appropriation of $2,000,000 to be allocated to the Workforce Development Division of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to assist workers dislocated by company closures and lay-offs, assist employers in finding suitable workers, and improve the delivery of services as allowed under the Wagner-Peyser Act;

     (3)  Inserting a lapse date for both appropriations of June 30, 2010; and

     (4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2008.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2876, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2876, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ ALEX M. SONSON, Co-Chair	____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair
____________________________ MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair