STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2561

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2837

       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 Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2837, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for collective bargaining cost items for public employees belonging to collective bargaining unit (11) and their excluded counterparts.

     Specifically, this measure appropriates:

(1)  $8,447 in fiscal year 2015-2016 and $33,786 in fiscal year 2016-2017 for cost items negotiated with the exclusive bargaining representative of collective bargaining unit (11); and

(2)  Unspecified sums for state officers and employees excluded from collective bargaining and who belong to the same compensation plans as those officers and employees within collective bargaining unit (11).

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, Office of Collective Bargaining, and the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association. 

     Your Committee finds that the Unit (11) Collective Bargaining Agreement for the period of 2011-2017, authorized the parties to reopen negotiations, by February 27, 2015, for employee meal allowances. Pursuant to those reopened negotiations, the parties executed a memorandum of agreement in December 2015 for an increase in the meal allowance.  Your Committee further finds that this measure will fund those additional meal-related cost items expected to be incurred during this and the next fiscal year.

     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 S.B. No. 2837, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

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JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair