STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1185-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   S.B. No. 3038

      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. 3038, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide additional benefits to unemployed workers in a county with a population under 200,000 by extending unemployment insurance benefits for workers whose benefits expire or are exhausted during the period from September 4, 2016 through October 29, 2017.

The United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO; Hawaii State AFL-CIO; and one concerned individual supported this measure.  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; and ILWU Local 142 provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by replacing its contents with H.B. No. 2722, H.D. 1; the companion to this measure that passed out of this Committee earlier this session.

     As amended, this measure:

     (1)  Makes it applicable to all workers statewide, regardless of county of residence;

     (2)  Makes enrollment in a vocational training or retraining program approved by the Director of Labor and Industrial relations optional, rather than a requirement for the receipt of benefits;

     (3)  Makes it effective upon approval; and

     (4)  Makes technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of clarity and consistency.

     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. 3038, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3038, S.D. 2, 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