STAND. COM. REP. NO. 708

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 798

       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 Judiciary and Labor and Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 798 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TELECOMMUTING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a temporary Telecommuting Task Force to develop incentives and recommendations to encourage and expand telecommuting opportunities in the public and private sectors.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Transportation; and one individual.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

     Your Committees find that the dependence of workers on automobiles for the daily commute to work increases traffic-related congestion on Hawaii's roadways, reduces hours in which employees may be productive on the job, causes employees to spend time commuting rather than with family, and results in the people of Hawaii becoming more dependent on foreign fossil fuel sources, which results in increased carbon emissions.  Your Committees also find that telecommuting provides an opportunity for employers to increase employee productivity, decrease use of employee sick leave, increase the labor pool, and improve employee retention; therefore, your Committees find that Hawaii should promote efforts to adopt telecommuting as a workplace alternative.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the members of the Telecommuting Task Force shall collectively appoint a chairperson from amongst themselves; and

     (2)  Inserting an effective date of January 7, 2059, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 798, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 798, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair