STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3581

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2353

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2353, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EXEMPTIONS FROM CIVIL SERVICE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend provisions of the civil service law relating to exemptions from civil service.

     Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Restores one additional civil service-exempt deputy director position for the Department of Human Services; and

     (2)  Provides three-year civil service exemptions for various positions in the Department of Human Services; Department of Public Safety; Department of Health; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; and Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Human Resources Development; and Department of Public Safety.

     Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that exempting certain positions from civil service requirements may assist in the recruitment and retention of qualified professionals.  Your Committee further finds that the Department of Health has experienced difficulty in recruiting qualified internists for the Hawaii State Hospital and forensic psychologists to perform court ordered examinations and monitor individuals on conditional release.

     Your Committee notes that this measure broadly exempts a number of position classifications in various departments.  Your Committee, therefore, requests that, as this measure moves forward, the Department of Human Resources Development provide the Legislature with a breakdown regarding the specific civil service exemptions needed per department and division, justifications for each, and the number of positions that are to be exempt.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Authorizing the Department of Health to establish eighteen forensic psychologist positions and two Hawaii State Hospital primary care physician positions, which shall be civil service-exempt for a period of three years; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2076, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2353, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2353, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair