STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1395

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 742

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 742, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

 

Hawai'i Labor Relations Board

 

G.M. No. 742

SESNITA A. D. MOEPONO,

for a term to expire 6-30-2017,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by the nominee and finds Sesnita A. D. Moepono to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Hawai‘i Labor Relations Board.

 

     Testimony in support of the nomination of Sesnita A. D. Moepono was submitted by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, United Public Workers, ILWU Local 142, Iron Workers Stabilization Fund, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, and thirty-four individuals.

 

     Sesnita A. D. Moepono has been in solo private legal practice since 1998, concentrating her practice in civil matters in the areas of contract, employment, estate planning, legislative analysis, probate, real property, and workers' compensation.  In addition to her solo private practice during this period, she has also been involved in the public sector and legislative arena.  Ms. Moepono is currently the Coordinator for Legislation and Litigation with the Offender Management Office of the Department of Public Safety, a position that she has held since March 2011.  Prior to that time, she served as a capital improvement projects analyst with the Senate Ways and Means Committee and a staff attorney with the Senate Committee on Water and Land and the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

 

     From 1994 to 1997, Ms. Moepono served as the Deputy Administrator of Operations with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which entailed among other things supervising a staff of over one hundred twenty-five employees, drafting and monitoring over one hundred contracts and one hundred grant agreements, developing a new employee handbook to conform to current federal and state laws, handling unemployment and workers' compensation cases, and improving the personnel branch of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

 

     In addition to her private law practice, extensive legislative involvement, and administrative experience with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Ms. Moepono has also been an active participant in the community by serving on the Liliha/Alewa Neighborhood Board, the Downtown Business Association, Kupuna Caucus, the Honolulu Committee on Aging, and the Honolulu Planning Commission, among others.

 

     Testimony submitted on behalf of the nomination of Ms. Moepono praised her background in employment and labor law and her proven record of leadership in the community.  Ms. Moepono has a reputation in the community as a person who is honest, forthright, balanced, and open to the ideas and opinions of others, and a deliberate decision-maker and good listener.  Testifiers indicated that they are confident that Ms. Moepono can view matters from the perspective of both management and labor, having served in management positions at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and having worked closely with labor unions on labor‑related legislation while on the staff of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor.  Your Committee finds that Ms. Moepono's extensive experience gives her a well-rounded legal background and that her knowledge and the perspectives she has gained through her work with management and labor unions will make her a valuable addition to the Hawai‘i Labor Relations Board.

 

     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, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair