STAND. COM. REP. NO.  597

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 924

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 924 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt the Hawaii Labor Relations Board from the requirement that hearing notices be sent by registered or certified mail, and to instead require those notices to be sent by first class mail.

     This measure also repeals outdated language and updates statutory references.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Hawaii Labor Relations Board submitted testimony in support of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will make the resolution of collective bargaining disputes more efficient.  In addition, the money saved by requiring hearing notices to be sent by first class mail instead of registered or certified mail can be used for other efficiency initiatives, including an electronic filing system.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that the exemption applies to hearings conducted under chapter 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes, not chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     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. 924, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 924, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair