STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1105-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   S.B. No. 2961

      S.D. 2

      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 S.B. No. 2961, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Increase the maximum family leave requirement from four to twelve weeks per calendar year;

     (2)  Establish a family leave insurance program, which allows employees to make contributions into a trust fund to be used to provide employees with family leave insurance benefits to care for a designated person for up to twelve weeks per calendar year of family leave; and

     (3)  Appropriate funds to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) to implement the program and require a study to be performed by DLIR and an actuarial study to be performed by the Department of Budget and Finance.

Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawai‘i State Democratic Women's Caucus, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies-Coalition of Hawaii, Hawaii Association for Infant Mental Health, Hawai‘i Coalition For Immigrant Rights, Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition, Hawaii Women's Coalition, Policy Advisory Board for Elderly Affairs, Family Programs Hawaii, YWCA Oahu, American Association of University Women of Hawaii, and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, ILWU Local 142, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, NFIB Hawaii, and Society for Human Resource Management–Hawaii Chapter testified in opposition.  Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Children's Action Network, and numerous individuals offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Restoring the maximum family leave requirement of four, instead of twelve, weeks per calendar year;

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2091, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  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 S.B. No. 2961, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2961, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair