STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3159

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2077

H.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 2077, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYEE TRAINING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the public employees training program within the Department of Human Resources Development to provide training programs to improve and enhance state employees' understanding of their job duties; and

(2) Allocate an amount equal to one percent of collective bargaining increases to the public employees training program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary; Department of Human Resources Development; and Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that there is a rising number of eligible retirees within the various departments of state government, which creates a pressing need to prepare the next generation of workers to occupy positions vacated by retirees, especially at the supervisory level. Your Committee believes that a public employees training program could help to stabilize the workforce and ensure the transfer of essential skills and institutional knowledge.

Your Committee further finds that while this measure requires an amount equal to one percent of the collective bargaining increases from the prior fiscal year be deposited into the public employees training fund, this measure does not specify the origin of these funds, which has led to ambiguity and differing interpretations among testifiers. As this measure moves to your Committee on Ways and Means, it would be most appropriate for a determination to be made as to the appropriate source of funding for the public employees training program.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2077, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor,

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JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair