STAND. COM. REP. NO.  72-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2018

RE:   H.B. No. 1768

      H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1768 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INFORMATION PRACTICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to permit the public inspection of the names and compensation of legislative employees by salary ranges, rather than by exact compensation.  

The Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives and Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO testified in support of this measure with suggested amendments.  Common Cause Hawaii; League of Women Voters; The Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest; Society of Professional Journalists, Hawaii Chapter; and two individuals opposed this measure.  The Office of Information Practices commented on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that the disclosure of the salary ranges for legislative employees be in accordance with the financial disclosure range requirements under section 84-17(g), Hawaii Revised Statutes, of the Hawaii State Ethics Code; and

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

     Should this measure proceed further in the legislative process, your Committee respectfully requests that the Committee on Judiciary consider the following comments received from testimony on this measure:

     (1)  Common Cause Hawaii suggests amending this measure to define the salary ranges of legislative employees so that the salary range increments are small enough, such as $5,000 salary range increments; and

     (2)  The Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest suggests amending the measure to clarify that disclosed salary ranges for legislative employees not exceed a $15,000 range.

     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 H.B. No. 1768, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1768, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair