STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2546

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3038

       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 S.B. No. 3038, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a temporary program, in counties with a population of less than 200,000, to extend unemployment insurance benefits to qualifying individuals.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and Hawaii State AFL-CIO.  Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Building Industry Association of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company expects to close its operations on Maui later this year.  The closure will leave hundreds of current employees without jobs and will force most of them to find employment in different industries.  Your Committee believes that this measure will provide additional financial assistance to those and other unemployed workers who may find it difficult to find gainful employment.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, 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 S.B. No. 3038, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3038, S.D. 2.

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

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JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair