STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1334

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.R. No. 72

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.R. No. 72, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO EXAMINE FEDERAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS TO ALLOW STATES TO MORE READILY ENACT UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION-RELATED LAWS THAT ALLOW FEAR OF DOMESTIC OR SEXUAL VIOLENCE TO BE A VALID REASON FOR NOT ACCEPTING SUITABLE WORK,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this resolution is to request the United States Congress to review Federal laws and regulations to allow states to enact unemployment compensation-related laws that allow fear of domestic or sexual violence to be a valid reason for not accepting suitable work.

     Three individuals testified in support of this resolution. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by urging the United States Congress to consider funding sources, other than the states' unemployment trust fund accounts or other accounts that receive funding from employers, for compensating individuals who would otherwise have qualified for unemployment insurance, except for their being unable to meet the acceptance-of-suitable-work requirements and "able and available" work requirements of the federal unemployment compensation law due to fear of domestic or sexual violence.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 72, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 72, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair