STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1501
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: H.B. No. 613
H.D. 1
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2019
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 613, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to:
(1) Establish a state youthBuild program to provide employment, education, leadership development, and training opportunities to disadvantages and low-income youth between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four; and
(2) Authorize the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to award grants directly to eligible entities or to the counties.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Society for Human Resource Management Hawaii, LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, La‘i‘Ōpua 2020, Hawaiian Community Assets, General Contractors Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Alliance for Community‑Based Economic Development, Waimanalo YouthBuild, and four individuals.
Your Committee finds that YouthBuild is a federal workforce development program that provides employment, education, leadership development, and training opportunities to disadvantaged and low-income youth between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four. Your Committee further finds that the United States Department of Labor administers the YouthBuild program by awarding grants to about two-hundred youthBuild programs in over forty states. Program participants receive education services and occupational skills training.
Your Committee also finds that the federal YouthBuild program is designed to create a skilled workforce either in the construction industry, through the rehabilitation and construction of housing for homeless individuals and families and low-income families, as well as public facilities, or in other high wage, high-demand jobs. The program also benefits the larger community by providing more new and rehabilitated affordable housing. This measure establishes a state youthBuild program in Hawaii which will ensure that participants are given the opportunity to gain marketable skill sets so they can be productive and contributing members of society.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Clarifying that the state youthBuild program is
established under the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to assist
non-profit and public entities in applying and qualifying for federal
YouthBuild program grants rather than directly providing employment, education,
leadership development, and training, as well as setting out basic parameters
for grants;
(2) Appropriating unspecified funds for the
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to administer the state youthBuild
program;
(3) Deleting the appropriation to the counties and
instead appropriating unspecified funds for matching-fund grants to eligible
non-profit and public entities awarded federal YouthBuild program grants; and
(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 613, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 613, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts,
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________________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair |
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