STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3052

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2472

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 2472, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations for the hiring of five labor law enforcement specialists and related expenses.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Hawai‘i Construction Alliance, Hawaii State AFL-CIO, and Pacific Resource Partnership.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the General Contractors Association of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Wage Standards Division has a backlog of complaints.  Without additional staff and resources, the Wage Standards Division will be unable to meet the Division's statutory responsibilities or reduce the Division's backlog of wage complaints.  Implementation of this measure will enable the Wage Standards Division to be more efficient and effective in its work to protect employees' wages.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an appropriation amount of $249,864; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2472, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2472, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair