STAND. COM. REP. NO. 300

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 944

       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 Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 944 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS RELATED TO THE TRANSITION OF MAUI REGION HOSPITALS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an appropriation to the Department of Budget and Finance for collective bargaining cost items related to the transition of the operation of Maui regional hospitals to Maui Health Systems.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance; Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO; and Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO.

     Your Committees find that the transition of the operations of the Maui regional hospitals was approved by the Legislature pursuant to Act 103, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, and a subsequent transfer agreement was approved by the Governor, Maui Region Board of Directors, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals on January 14, 2016.  To facilitate a smooth transition of affected Maui regional hospital employees to employment with Maui Health Systems, a Kaiser Hospital, this measure will ensure that operations will not be negatively impacted and the health care of the community will not be compromised.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2017; and

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

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 944, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 944, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Judiciary and Labor,

________________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair