THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	32
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

encouraging stakeholders and interested parties to work together to establish paid family leave or similar wage replacement programs to assist family caregivers.

     WHEREAS, generally, women in the work force begin to start saving for retirement several years after most men establish a retirement savings plan; and

     WHEREAS, additionally, working women are more likely than men to have more breaks in their employment for family reasons, which results in large amounts of money in missed earnings, promotions, raises, and benefits over the course of a woman's career; and

     WHEREAS, women in the workforce face difficult decisions on a daily basis, juggling jobs and caregiving responsibilities; and

     WHEREAS, in the United States, forty-four million adults provide care for a relative or friend, with women constituting the majority of caregivers; and

     WHEREAS, approximately half of all caregivers provide care for more than eight hours a week, with twenty per cent of caregivers providing care more than forty hours a week; and

     WHEREAS, sixty-two per cent of caregivers report that they are required to adjust their work schedule to accommodate their needs as a caregiver, with many caregivers reducing their work hours or forfeiting promotions or benefits; and

     WHEREAS, a caregiver's household income is approximately $5,000 per year less than the household income for non-caregivers; and

     WHEREAS, because caregiving responsibilities often result in reduced wages and lost benefits, many caregivers miss opportunities for compounded returns on their 401(k) matching contribution retirement plans or have smaller amounts in any savings or investment accounts the caregiver may have; and

     WHEREAS, the financial strains felt by most caregivers may result in an inability to finance needed home maintenance or handicap access home improvements; and

     WHEREAS, a 1999 study noted that a family caregiver will lose more than $659,000 in lifetime earnings and benefits as a result of caregiving responsibilities; and

     WHEREAS, family caregivers who work are often senior employees who are very valuable to their employers' businesses; and

     WHEREAS, in Hawaii, family caregivers provide millions of dollars of uncompensated care that would otherwise be the responsibility of the State, resulting in savings to state agencies and taxpayers; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature urges the Hawaii business community; the labor community; health care advocates; and the general public to work together to develop programs to assist family caregivers in continuing to provide care and to remain in the workforce, such as wage replacement and paid family leave programs; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges employers to provide full disclosure regarding any potential loss of benefits to 401K or similar retirement programs for any employee who is required to leave employment because of the employee's caregiving responsibilities; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Directors of Taxation, Labor and Industrial Relations, and Human Services, respectively; and the Director of the Executive Office on Aging, who in turn is requested to transmit a copy to members of the Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs and the Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition; the President of the Executive Board of the Hawaii Teamsters; the President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142; the President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Government Employees Association; the State Director for the Society for Human Resource Management; and the Kokua Council.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title

Caregivers; Paid Family Leave; Wage Replacement