STAND. COM. REP. NO.  955

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 982

      H.D. 3

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 982, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to gather information about and to assist employees who provide family caregiving services by:

     (1)  Creating and appropriating funds for a family leave data collection system (Collection System) that is capable of analyzing and reporting family caregiving data for public employees; and

     (2)  Requiring that a public employee, upon requesting family leave, provide evidence that the employee submitted the request and provided required data for input into the Collection System.

     The Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Kokua Council, and Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Human Resources Development, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), and Society for Human Resource Management Hawaii testified in opposition to this measure.  The ILWU Local 142 and several concerned individuals provided comments on this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Inserting language to include private employers and employees in the scope of the Collection System;

     (2)  Changing the appropriation from general fund appropriations to appropriations from the Disability Benefits Special Fund established under section 392-61, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (3)  Changing the expending agency from the University of Hawaii to DLIR; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 982, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 982, H.D. 3.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair