STAND. COM. REP. NO.  800-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1977

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1977, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend resolution procedures for an impasse in collective bargaining between a public employer and the exclusive representative of a bargaining unit by requiring that final positions submitted to arbitration include only proposals that are the subject of the impasse and granting the arbitration panel the authority to determine if final positions submitted comply with statutory requirements.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Hawaii Fire Fighters Association; and United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of the Attorney General, Department of Budget and Finance, Office of Collective Bargaining, Department of Education, City and County of Honolulu Department of Human Resources, and University of Hawaii provided testimony in opposition to this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2030, for the purpose of facilitating further discussion.

     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. 1977, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1977, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair