STAND. COM. REP. NO.  348-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 1849

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1849 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HIRING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address the aging state workforce by creating a direct hire pilot program to streamline the recruitment and hiring process for vacancies within state departments.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO and a concerned individual supported this measure.  The Department of Human Resources Development (Department) opposed this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Amending the purpose of the program to allow the State to efficiently fill vacant positions through active recruitment strategies that include redrafting, reclassifying, and creating new positions for hard-to-fill vacancies with a minimum higher education or expertise requirement;

     (2)  Requiring the Director of the Department to compile a list of recruitment requests submitted by all departments statewide and Director of Human Resources Development (Director) develop recruitment strategies that include reclassifying, redrafting, and creating new positions to address state departmental position needs;

     (3)  Requiring the Director to submit a report to the Legislature on the pilot program, based on information submitted by all departments statewide;

     (4)  Authorizing the Department to hire five full-time recruitment and reclassification specialists for the duration of the program and appropriate unspecified funds; and

     (5)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1849, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1849, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair