STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1185

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   S.B. No. 969

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred S.B. No. 969 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to provide funds for the Department of Human Resources Development to pay workers' compensation claims required by Hawaii Workers' Compensation Law.

     Pursuant to requirements set forth in Article VII, Section 9, of the Hawaii State Constitution, the Governor, in Governor's Message No. 4 to the Legislature, requested immediate consideration of this bill by the Legislature to provide funds needed to pay workers' compensation claims.

The Department of Human Resources Development testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Budget and Finance provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriation amount from $1,700,000 to an unspecified amount;

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     The Governor, in Governor's Message No. 5 to the Legislature, indicated that the original appropriation amount of $1,700,000 requested in this measure may be insufficient to cover the anticipated workers' compensation expenses for the balance of fiscal year 2016-2017.  Should the Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure further, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $2,400,000 for workers' compensation payments.

     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. 969, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 969, 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,

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair