STAND. COM. REP. NO. 513-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 2138

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 2138 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EXEMPTIONS FROM CIVIL SERVICE FOR POSITIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt certain positions in the Department of Human Services from the civil service requirements.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Early Childhood Action Strategy, Parents And Children Together, Neighborhood Place of Kona, and five individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Human Services needs to attract and retain qualified, experienced, and knowledgeable information technology staff to effectively achieve information technology infrastructure modernization and system integration projects, maintain on-going system security and compliance, and meet additional supports required by a distributed telework workforce. Your Committee further finds that Act 81, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019, extended a temporary exemption for certain existing positions in the Office of the Director of the Department of Human Services for three years. This measure ensures a more effective and efficient administration of the Department of Human Services by creating permanent exemptions from civil service requirements for certain positions within the Department.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2138, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2138, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair