STAND. COM. REP. NO. 94

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1112

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Higher Education and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 1112 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the University of Hawaii at Manoa to provide its nonsupervisory blue collar employees in bargaining unit (1) and supervisory blue collar employees in collective bargaining unit (2), or one of their family members, with a tuition waiver benefit comparable to the tuition waivers provided to faculty and their family members.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from United Public Workers, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and three individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System and Office of Collective Bargaining.

     Your Committees find that while faculty enjoy educational benefits such as tuition waivers, those same benefits are not afforded to the blue collar nonsupervisory employees in collective bargaining unit (1) or supervisory blue collar employees in collective bargaining unit (2).  Your Committees find that it is important to further the equitable provision of employee benefits at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Your Committees heard testimony from the University of Hawaii expressing concerns about the cost and scope of the benefit provided in this measure as well as existing policies of the University that provide a tuition waiver to certain University employees.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of May 12, 2059, to encourage further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1112, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1112, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education and Judiciary and Labor,

________________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair

________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair