STAND. COM. REP. NO. 122

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1126

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 1126 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO JOB-SHARING FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to authorize the executive departments, the University of Hawaii, the Judiciary, the Office of the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Office of the Auditor, and the Office of the Ombudsman to establish voluntary job-sharing programs for their permanent, full-time employees.

     The Department of Human Resources Development submitted comments on the measure.  Copies of written testimony are available for review on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that job-sharing provides flexible employment opportunities for certain state employees.  Your Committee further finds that the State Auditor reviewed previously authorized job-sharing pilot projects and reported job-sharing to be a feasible, desirable, and cost-effective work arrangement that allowed job-sharers to care for their children, spend more time with their families, pursue additional education and training, and take care of other personal needs.  The Auditor also recommended that job-sharing be made available to all state agencies to use at their discretion.

     Your Committee has heard the concerns of the Department of Human Resources Development that this measure may increase costs by requiring the State to pay for the benefits of two full-time employees for the same position.  Your Committee believes this merits further discussion by the Committee on Ways and Means.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1126, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1126, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair