STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1347

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 845

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. 845, 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 to provide training state employees;

(2) Allocate either 0.01 percent of each employee's gross salary, or an amount negotiated pursuant to collective bargaining, to the public employees training program; and

(3) Require all new employees to be provided with a general orientation on their benefits and rights.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance; City and County of Honolulu Department of Human Resources; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO; and Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 142, AFL-CIO.

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. However, your Committee also wants to ensure that new employees are informed about their benefits and rights as soon as possible. This measure will establish a board to provide training programs for public employees and require that new employees are provided with an orientation where they will be informed about their benefits and rights.

Your Committee notes that S.B. No. 792, S.D. 1 (Regular Session of 2019), which was previously passed by your Committee, also established the public employee training program. Your Committee concludes that S.B. No. 792, S.D. 1 is preferable because it contains amendments already made by this Committee based on previous testimony regarding removing language that would require public employees to contribute to the public employees training fund. Your Committee also notes the request of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Human Resources that clarification is needed to expressly exclude county employees since such employees are not covered by chapters 78 and 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its contents and inserting the contents of S.B., 792, S.D. 1, which also establishes the public employee training program but does not require employees to contribute to the training fund;

(2) Replacing the word "public" with the word "state" where appropriate to clarify that counties are excluded from the requirements of this measure; and

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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. 845, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 845, 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,

________________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair