STAND. COM. REP. NO.  342-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2161

      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. 2161 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DISABILITY COMPENSATION DIVISION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to hire six full-time equivalent hearings officer positions and support staff within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Disability Compensation Division.

The Department of Human Resources Development, Department of Human Resources of the City and County of Honolulu, Pacific Resource Partnership, Hawaii Injured Workers Association, ILWU Local 142, and two concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying the hearings officer positions and support staff to be hired within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Disability Compensation Division to be:

          (A)  One professional employers organization specialist;

          (B)  One vocational rehabilitation specialist;

          (C)  Two disability compensation enforcement specialists, with one each to be assigned to Kauai and Kona;

          (D)  One auditor; and

          (E)  One hearings officer, to be assigned to Kona; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for 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. 2161, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2161, 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